Strategic Thrust using BR25 (LONG)

> Donald Hosford wrote:

The interplanetary display is 9 "rings" deep. That is, hex zero has the
primary star, ring #1 is that hex's six adjacent hexes, ring#2 is the 12 hexes
adjacent to ring#1, and so on. The rings are called "orbitals". A hex in an
orbital represents a larger volumn than a hex in an inner orbital (logrithmic
scale)

1 turn is about 2.5 months.

The solar system is generated randomly, rolling 1d6 for each orbital.

             orbital
    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8  9
-------------------------------------
1 t1 t1 t1 t2 t2 g1 g2 g2 g1 2 t1 t1 t2 t2 g1 g2 g2 g2 g2 3 t1 t2 t2 t3 g2 g3
g3 g3 g3 4 t2 t2 t3 t4 g3 g4 g4 g3 g4
5      t3  t3  t5      g4  g5  g4
6 t4 g5

t = terrestrial planet, g = gas giant, which come in various sizes. They are
placed at random spots in their orbitals. Each turn, all planets move one hex
clockwise in the planet movement phase.

In the movement phase, each ship plots it's move, and whether it is using it's
interstellar or it's interplanetary propulsion this turn. Ships have 3 choices
for the type of movement: Up Well, Orbit, or Down Well.

UP WELL: during movement, orbital the ship is in cannot decrease at any time
during the move, and at the end of movement the ship must be at least one
orbital higher (i.e., further from the center)

ORBIT: All movement must be in the same orbital it started in. and all
movement must be in the same direction (clockwise or counter clockwise). In
addition, if moving ORBIT type over consecutive turns, they must be in the
same direction.

DOWN WELL: during movement, orbital the ship is in cannot increase at any time
during the move, and at the end of movement the ship must be at least one
orbital lower (i.e., closer to the center)

Ships have 3 choices for speed: increase, decrease, or the same. They choose
HEAVY ACCELERATION (HA), LIGHT ACCELERATION (LA), HEAVY DECELERATION (HD),
LIGHT DECELERATION (LD), or NO CHANGE (NC). The affect on the ship's speed
depends on the starting orbital, and can be found on the movement table below.
The number from the table is added algebraically to the ship's speed from the
last turn. This new speed is how many hexes the ship *must* move in this turn.
It must move all the hexes.

To use the tables, first find the table for which move type the ship is using:
Up Well, Orbit, or Down Well. Next, find the ship's speed type: HA, LA, HD,
LD, or NC. Move across to cross reference with the ship's staring orbital. The
result is the number added to the ship's speed from last turn.

UP WELL Start Orbital
    1-3  4-7  8-9
HA  +4   +3   +2
LA  +1   +1   +1
HD  -5   -4   -4
LD  -2   -2   -2
NC  -1   -1   -1

ORBIT Start Orbital
    1-3  4-7  8-9
HA  +4   +3   +2
LA  +1   +1   +1
HD  -4   -3   -2
LD  -1   -1   -1
NC   0	  0    0

DOWN WELL Start Orbital
    1-3  4-7  8-9
HA  +5   +4   +3
LA  +2   +2   +2
HD  -4   -3   -2
LD  -1   -1   -1
NC  +1   +1   +1

The Riin use a gravity polarizer for interplanetary propulsion,
and a photon plasma matter/antimatter drive for interstellar.
The gravity polarizer can plot HA, HD, LA, LD, or NC, but can only move
Orbitally or Down Well. The photon drive may plot HA, HD, or NC but can only
move Up Well. You can switch from one to the other at will from turn to turn.

The Gzrel use a line sheet light sail for interplanetary and a bussard ramjet
for interstellar. The light sail can plot LA, LD or NC but can only move
Orbitally or Up Well. The ramjet can plot LD or NC but can only move Orbitally
or Down Well. The ship (like all ships) initially enter the solar system under
interstellar drive. The turn after it plots a NC for the interstellar drive,
the ship automatically switches to the light sail. But once the Gzrel switches
to light sail, it cannot switch back to the ramscoop. It has to leave the
system, then it switches to ramscoop and goes to another star.

The Tassar use a fusion pulse system (like Daedalus) for interplanetary, and a
ram augmented rocket for interstellar. The pulse can plot HD, HA, or NC and
can move all three ways. Unlike the Riin and Gzrel, the pulse drive consumes
fuel. The ram rocket can plot HD or NC, and can only move Orbitally or Down
Well. It too switches to interplanetary drive upon plotting a NC. Like the
Gzrel, once the ship switches to it's interplanetary drive, it cannot switch
back.

The Terrans use an x-ray laser for interplanetary.  Their
wormhole jump cannot be used in the system. Wormholes occur in the Oort cloud
outside a system. A ship enters a black hole and emerges from a white hole.
Since white holes only occur in the cores of stars, ships must be capable of
enturing
stellar core conditions.  A refrigerater x-ray laser moves
heat, and provides propulsion. (see David Brin's SUNDIVER)
The x-ray laser may plot HA, HD, LA, LD, or NC, and
any movement mode. The drive consumes fuel (actually heat from the core).

For the Tassar and Terran: explorer ships have 100 fuel cells, light warships
have 60 cells, heavy warships have 300 cells, and colony ships have 150 cells.
HA and HD consumes 8 cells. LA or LD consumes 2 cells. NC consumes 1.

Gravity Assist: If a craft is moved so that it is adjacent to a planet or star
for two or more consecutive hexes of the craft's movement, it may accelerate
faster than normally