Latest revision as of 21:51, 29 September 2011

Currently this is a draft of a system for resolving large scale conflict in the OtherSpace Dominion system.

It seeks to accomplish the following goals (in no particular order):

• To allow a fair method of reffing conflict between entities.
• To require a minimal amount of code changes from current Dominion mechanics as reasonable.
• To be simple to understand and use.
• To promote roleplaying.

Actions

What are Actions?

The unit of time during a conflict is a 'turn', which on the game would be one week. The idea being that an empire can only do so much in a given period of time. Moving fleets, initiating invasions, performing intelligence operations, and so on. The base amount of actions is based on empire size.

Using Actions

Activities during a conflict that cost Actions:

• Moving a Fleet from one sector to another.
• Moving a group of intelligence operatives from one place to another.
• Launching an assault on a planet.

Combat

Initiating Combat

Combat is initiated when a set of units move from one area to another area that is occupied by hostile forces. Initiating combat in this way does not cost an action.

Defenses may exist on any of three levels. The Empire level (intelligence units only), the Sector level, or the Planet level. Any attacker must breach defenses at the Empire level first, then the Sector level, and finally may proceed to the Planet level.

Core Combat Mechanic

Each unit is given an Attack and Defense power. When a unit is moving from one place to another, it is considered attacking and uses the numbers listed there. If a unit is defending, it uses the numbers in the defense category.

Each combat round takes place in five phases.

1. Attacker rolls one die per unit it has on the field. If the number is equal to or lower than its attack value, it scores a hit against the opponent.
2. Defender rolls one die per unit it has on the field. If the number is equal to or lower than its defense value, it scores a hit against the attackers.
3. Both sides count how many wounds were scored against them, and allocate that number of wounds to their units. Unless stated otherwise, each unit can take one wound before being destroyed.
4. Both sides remove all destroyed units from the battlefield.
5. The attacker may choose to retreat at this point. This costs an action as their fleet is conducting a movement action. If the battle is not taking place at the Planet level, the defender may also choose to retreat at this point. This costs an action.

This repeats until one side is remaining on the battlefield.

Unit List

Keywords

Keywords are a way to note special abilities in a well defined and consistent way.

• Bay: Units with a Bay may carry 2 sublight units within them.
• Cloak - Cloak means a few things. So long as they aren't countered by Sensor Scout Squadrons, they gain the following abilities.
  • 1) Cloaked ships get a 'free round' before combat rounds start.
  • 2) At the end of each round, cloaked ships may 'reactivate' their cloak and be out of the battle, but intact.
• Dropship - This unit may carry 2 ground units within it.
• Durable: Durable units take two hits to destroy. Hits to them may be allocated at any time and in any order. After each battle, any surviving durable units 'regen' back to full health.
• Fortification: This unit is difficult to move. To move it costs one action, this is calculated separate from any other fleets or units.
• Ground - This unit operates within the context of a planet, and if it is used in space combat it has a power of 0/0. They may only be allocated to defend at the Planet level.
• Intel - These units are used in intelligence operations, do not need to worry about transportation, and may be allocated to the 'Empire' level of defense.
• Sensor - Units with the sensor ability have the ability to disable the cloaking ability of one enemy unit. This means the maximum amount of units that may use their cloaking abilities is 'Amount of units with cloak - amount of enemy units with sensor.'
• Sublight: These units need to be moved between sectors via Carrier. Each Carrier Unit can hold 2 Sublight units at a time. Once transported, they may be deployed in combat normally.

PCs in Battle

When PCs are involved in large fleet battles, a couple extra rules are used to help make the PCs stand out.

• PC units gain Durable by default, each round only one wound may be put on them.
• Engineer gets a d10 roll against their skill when taking damage. If it's their skill level (max 7) or lower, they get to remove the mark at the end of the round.
• Gunners get to use their skill instead of their unit's normal capabilities, once again, using their skill level at a max level of 7.
• Pilots serve two functions. The first is they can roll against their skill (once again a max of 7), on a success, they can call one wound on their opponent (normally each side designates their own wounds).
• Upon the second point of damage, the pilot may roll against their skill (max 7) to flee. If successful, the ship is disabled, but the crew may flee so that the plucky PCs can survive.

Intelligence Operations

All intelligence operations must survive an 'intel battle' with opposing forces to make the operation a success. The rules work the same as space battles. All intel operation objects have a strength of 0/0 and must survive the battle to be successful.

Empire Modifiers

There are things that modify the rules as said above a little. These are modifiers.

Bonuses to Military and Intel mean that conflicts when using those units take fewer wounds in combat. For instance, if a group has +10% to military, for every ten wounds their enemies achieve against them, they will only need to allocate nine. This works the opposite way for penalties.

Doctrines

These alterations to an empire's capabilities is generally achieved through the use of Doctrines. There are different types of Doctrines, such as Political Doctrines and Economic Doctrines. A group may craft these as desired, but only one Doctrine of a given type may be active at a time.

• Political Doctrine: Democracy - +10% Economy, -10% Intelligence
• Political Doctrine: Theocracy - +10% Intelligence, -10% Research
• Political Doctrine: Oligarchy - +5% Economy, -5% Intelligence
• Political Doctrine: Autocracy - +33% actions/turn, -10% Economy.

• Economy Doctrine: Free Market - +10% Economy, triple penalty on Economic Downturns
• Economy Doctrine: Command - -10% Economy, +5% Military, +5% Intel

• Value Doctrine: Militarism - +10% Military, -10% Economy
• Value Doctrine: Research - +10% Research, -10% Intelligence
• Value Doctrine: Wealth - +10% Economy, -10% Military