And...we're back! We learned how to spend ungodly amounts of money to build these ships...now let's learn how to blow them up! That's right, it's everyone's favorite sci-fi topic...starship combat!
Pardon me while I crank up some appropriate music on YouTube...
So, the rules we are about to be given cover pretty much any space combat situation, whether it's a simple merchant ship trying to escape pirates, or squadrons of imperial starships clashing. Cool. Let's see what we've got.
First, the basics. Time is measured in ten-minute increments. Combat is portrayed on a hexagonal surface, with one hex equaling 1,000 miles. So, planets are probably going to take up lots of space on the board. Watch where you're flying. Thrust is measured using the ship's maneuverability drive, and velocity changes at a rate of 2 inches per G of accel. So, this is going to be pretty abstract, which makes sense; speed of play is more important than ultra-realistic accuracy. Cinematic combat is the key; nobody complained about TIE Fighters exploding in space, right?
So, we get the first part of the Turn Sequence here. Generally, a space battle will have only two sides. Of course, if you want to make it a three-way or even four-way fight, go right ahead; I'm sure the Turn Sequence will be flexible enough. If not...wing it! That's what old-school games are all about, anyway!
The book is going to use the terms 'intruder' and 'native' for the combatants. That seems...rather politically correct, frankly. 'Attacker' and 'defender' would work fine, too. It's a weird choice of terms. Anyway, the turn sequence is going to be rather rigid, apparently. There are separate phases for firing lasers and for firing missiles. Interesting. I wonder what we'll see next.
Well, the music stopped, which is fine, since the page is done as well. Time to move on to the next page.
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