Starfire
Starfire Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
(1.0) Introduction to the Game System
STARFIRE is a tactical game of combat in outer space. It is basically a two player game but in certain situations can be played by more than two persons. Each die-cut cardboard unit counter represents a single ship varying in size from a Superdreadnought to a lowly Escort. Each hexagon (hex) on the map sheet represents about half a light-second (93,000 miles) and each turn represents about 10 seconds of real time. Each ship is represented by a counter on the map and by a listing of its component systems on a separate control sheet. This control sheet system is the heart of the game and provides both a listing of what the ship started with and what is left after each turn of combat. For example, the control sheet for a Corvette, a smaller type of ship, might be: S S A H R L l I. Each letter on the control sheet represents a system on the ship (systems are listed later and each is assigned a code letter). In this case, the letters indicate the following systems: Two Shields (S) and one unit of Armor (A) provide the ship's defenses. The ship also has a Cargo Hold (H) allowing it to carry supplies for extended operations, a Guided Missile Launch system (R) and a Laser Beam (L) for offense, and two Ion Engines (I) which will move the ship at two hexes per turn.
In combat, damage will be recorded in terms of "hits", each of which will destroy one system (the player crosses out one letter on the chart). Generally, these hits are checked off from left to right, although some weapons use variations of this or do not affect certain types of systems. These concepts will be explained in much detail later. They are presented here so that later rules sections will be easier to grasp.
The game system of STARFIRE is designed to emphasize the inter-relationships of various weapon systems and different families of weapons systems. Built into the game is a campaign system with the option of designing your own ships, mass production, refitting older ships with newer weapons, interchangeable weapons modules, and other refinements. The system is presented in a series of scenarios from the First and Second Interstellar Wars (between Earth and the Khanate of Orion) during the course of which these weapons systems were developed in an arms race covering several years. The game system is capable of handling any number of ships. However, play testing has shown that players with an hour experience in the game can handle fleets of eight or ten ships and still keep the playing time of individual scenarios down to under 90 minutes. Players with more experience can handle more ships. The playing time is a function of the number of ships being moved and the number of weapons being fired.
(1.1) Reading the Rules
The rules of play for STARFIRE have been cross-referenced for ease of use by the players. Players may wish to read the rules through from start to finish. Another way of reading the rules would be to stop whenever an unfamiliar term or concept is encountered and turn to the referenced section for a more detailed explanation before continuing reading the rules. Experienced players may wish to merely skim the rules and pick out important concepts. The rules also include detailed explanations in the form of examples to better illustrate the game system.
(2.0) Game Components
The game STARFIRE consists of the following items:
- One rules booklet.
- One sheet of die-cut ship and unit counters.
- One game map sheet.
Also required for play, but not included, is one pair of six-sided dice and writing materials.
(2.1) Unit Types
STARFIRE includes one sheet of die cut unit counters which represent the ships and certain other items used in the game. Each ship and Base has two identifying numbers as shown below. Six counters do not have designations. These are one Star, two Planets (A and B) and three Warp Points (1, 2 and 3).
(2.11) Classification/Identifying Number
The Identifying Number is used to distinguish ships of the same classification. Classification identifies the unit as one of the following types:
- SD Superdreadnought
- BB Battleship
- BC Battlecruiser
- CA Cruiser
- CL Light Cruiser
- DD Destroyer
- FG Frigate
- CT Corvette
- ES Escort BS
- F1 Freighter - Type 1
- F2 Freighter - Type 2
- F3 Freighter - Type 3
- F4 Freighter - Type 4
- B Base
(2.2) Map
The game map sheet represents the areas of space in which the various battles portrayed in the scenarios are fought. The map is overprinted with a grid of numbered hexagons (hexes). This is used as a means of regularizing movement and position of the ships and other playing pieces. The numbers in the hexes are used to identify where on the map certain types of units are placed. The players will notice that the map sheet is divided into four equal sized sections, each of which has an identifying letter of A, B, C or D. The identifying letters and the dividing lines are only used as an optional rule and are completely IGNORED in the basic scenarios. The game map also contains a set of six numbers arranged in a circle in the lower left-hand corner of the map and a set of six letters arranged in a circle in the upper right-hand corner of the map. These letters and numbers are not used in this game and may be completely IGNORED.
(2.3) Ship Control Sheets
Below is a sample of what a system control sheet for a ship would look like at the beginning of a scenario:
BRADLEY - FG1 - (2) - S S S A A A W I H W I I II (5)
(2.31) This record and the record for any other ships being used are recorded by the players on scratch paper. These records may be typed for easier use, especially on the very large ships.
The control sheets of all ships are always kept hidden from the view of the opposing players during the course of a game (one exception to this is found in the rules on Tractor Beams (8.311)). The following is a brief explanation of the items on the sample control sheet:
- BRADLEY - Name of the ship.
- FG1 - FG designates the ship as a Frigate. The number 1 is to distinguish the ship from other Frigates.
- (2) - Turn mode of the ship. Explained in rules on movement (4.4).
- S S S A A A W I H W I I I I - Ship systems. Explained in much detail later in the rules (6.0), (7.01), (8.0).
- (5) - Notation of the number of movement points. This number may change as damage is incurred. See movement (4.0) and combat (5.0).
(2.32) The only time a player is required to announce to an enemy player the condition of any ship (besides the Tractor Beam exception) is when all of his Shields (7.1) have been destroyed. The player does this by announcing that he has "Shields down" on a particular ship.
(3.0) Sequence of Play
(3.1) During each turn on the scenario being played the players go through the following steps:
- (3.11) Initiative Determination Phase
- (3.12) Movement Phase.
- (3.13) Combat Phase.
- (3.14) Tractor Beam Phase.
- (3.15) Record Keeping Segment.
(3.2) Explanation of the Sequence of Play
(3.21) Initiative Determination Phase - In some scenarios, Initiative will be specified as belonging to one player. In most scenarios, Initiative for each turn must be determined at this time. Each player will roll a die with the higher number giving that player Initiative for the current turn. The player with the Initiative will move LAST but will fire weapons FIRST.
(3.22) Movement Phase - The players now begin moving their ships according to the rules on movement (4.0) with the player who lost the die roll for Initiative beginning the movement.
(3.23) Combat Phase - The players now fire the weapons of their ships at enemy ships in accordance with the rules on combat (5.0). In this phase the player with the Initiative would begin the firing.
(3.24) Tractor Beam Phase - Players who have ships equipped with Tractor Beams may attempt to attach these beams onto enemy ships. See rules on Tractor Beams (8.3).
(3.25) Record Keeping Segment - Any record keeping required for the scenario is done at this time.
The execution of these phases completes one turn. This procedure is repeated for the number of turns specified in the scenario.
(4.0) Movement
(4.1) All movement takes place during the Movement Phase of each game turn. Ships are moved through the hex grid one at a time. There is no limit to the number of ships that may occupy any given hex at the same time. A ship may be in the same hex with other ships of the same player or ships of an opposing player. Ships may also be in the same hex as a base, planet or warp point. However, a ship or base may never be in the same hex as a star. Ships may never move off the edge of the map sheet, unless specifically allowed by the scenario.
(4.2) The distance a given ship may move in the course of a turn is determined by the number of movement points it possesses. A ship's allowance of movement points is equal to the number of undestroyed engine units (8.8) left on its record track. A ship expends one movement point for each hex it enters during the course of its Movement Phase and must stop when its supply of movement points is exhausted.
(4.3) During each Movement Phase each ship MUST expend its entire movement allowance. However, it need not actually move that number of hexes. A ship may expend movement points in a hex without moving.
(4.4) Each ship must at all times maintain a specific facing. That is, the counter on the map must be faced toward a specific adjacent hex. A ship may only move into the hex it is facing. A ship may, during its Movement Phase, change its facing. Each ship is assigned a specific "turn mode". This is the number of movement points the ship must expend in a given direction before it can change its facing by 60 degrees (one hex side). Before a ship may change its facing it must expend movement points in one direction equal to its turn mode by either moving or expending points in place or a combination of both. Movement points expended in one or more prior turns may be used to satisfy the turn mode requirement. Note that a ship "earns" the right to change its facing by expending enough movement points to satisfy its turn mode, but DOES NOT expend movement points to change facing.
(4.5) A ship may, on a given turn, not move at all but instead change its facing to any other direction. The ship must expend all available movement points and may change its facing to any direction, but may not move into another hex during that Movement Phase.
(4.6) At the beginning of each Movement Phase the player who lost the die roll for Initiative for the current turn begins movement by expending the first movement point (by moving or expending a point in place) for each of his ships. The other player then expends the first movement point for each of his ships. This is repeated until each ship has expended its entire movement allowance. Any changes in ship facing (if desired) are made during the course of this movement. Note that some ships will have expended their entire movement allowance and thus will have completed their movement while others (with more movement points) are still moving. Also note that the number of movement points available to a ship during the Movement Phase may change during the course of the scenario as engine units (8.8) are destroyed in combat.
(4.7) A given ship may change facing more than once in a given game turn as long as it has sufficient movement points to do so and satisfies its turn mode requirement before each change of facing. (4.8)
Movement Example
The Terran Player begins the Movement Phase of the current turn with two ships on the map sheet. The Cruiser Hercules, with 6 movement points (engine units) and a turn mode of 3 is in hex number 0608, facing hex number 0609. The Frigate Jackson, with 5 movement points and a turn mode of 2 is in hex number 0707, facing hex number 0708.
The Khanate player begins the same Movement Phase with one ship on the map, the Battlecruiser Falkreg, with 6 movement points and a turn mode of 4 in hex 1720, facing hex 1619. The Falkreg had expended the last movement point of the previous movement phase in the same direction it now faces. The Khanate player lost the Initiative for the current turn, so he begins movement. The Khanate player expends 1 movement point and moves the Falkreg into hex 1619. The Terran player now expends the first movement point for each of his two ships. He moves the Jackson into hex 0708 and the Hercules into hex 0609. The Khanate player now expends the second movement point of the Falkreg and moves the ship into hex 1519. The Terran player expends the second movement point of the Hercules in place (and does not move the ship) and expends the second movement point of the Jackson by moving the ship into hex 0709. Having now fulfilled the turn mode requirement of the Jackson (by expending two movement points) the Terran Player elects to change the facing of the Jackson by one hex side (60 degrees) and turns the ship to face hex 0809.
The Khanate player now expends the third movement point of the Falkreg by moving the ship into hex 1418. The Khanate player now elects to change the facing of the Falkreg to face hex 1417. The Falkreg has fulfilled its turn mode requirement of 4 with the last movement point moved that direction the previous turn and the 3 movement points expended that direction in the current turn. The Terran player again expends a point in place for the Hercules and moves the Jackson into hex 0809. This expends the third point for each ship. The Terran player elects to change the facing of the Hercules at this time (having fulfilled the Turn Mode) and turns the ship to face hex 0710.
The Khanate player now expends the fourth movement point of the Falkreg by moving the ship into hex 1417. The Terran player expends the fourth point for each of his ships by moving the Hercules into hex 0710 and the Jackson into hex 0910. The Terran player at this time could again change the facing of the Jackson, having again fulfilled the turn mode. However, he does not elect to do so. The Khanate player expends the fifth movement point of the Falkreg by moving the ship into hex 1416. The Terran player expends the fifth point of the Hercules by moving the ship into hex 0810. The Terran player expends the fifth and final point of the Jackson by moving that ship into hex 1010. The Khanate player now expends the sixth and final movement point of the Falkreg by moving the ship into hex 1415. The Terran player expends the sixth and final point of the Hercules by moving the ship into hex 0911. This completes the Movement Phase of the current turn as all ships on the map have expended all movement points.
(5.0) Combat
During the Combat Phase of each turn each player may fire any or all of the weapons of any or all of his ships at the ships of his opponent.
(5.1) The player who has won the Initiative for the current turn begins the Combat Phase by firing any or all of the weapons of any ONE of his ships at an enemy ship or ships. The other player then fires the weapons of any ONE of his ships at any enemy ship or ships. This is repeated until all ships that are to be fired have fired. All the weapons of a given ship that are to be fired must be fired before going to the next ship.
(5.2) Firing is not considered to be simultaneous. That is, any "hits" scored by weapons fire take effect immediately. A ship's weapon system which was intact at the beginning of the combat phase may not be able to fire in this phase if destroyed before that ship has a chance to fire.
(5.3) Weapons Tables
The PROBABILITY OF HIT table is used when a weapon is fired to determine whether the weapon actually hit the target. Each weapon of a given ship is fired individually, in any order that the owning player desires. The player owning the firing ship designates the weapon to be fired and the target ship. A range in hexes is determined from the firing ship to the target ship by counting the shortest number of hexes between the two hexes the ships are in. In determining this range, count the hex containing the target but not the hex containing the firing ship. The player then consults the PROBABILITY OF HIT TABLE and cross-indexes the weapon type with the range. The table will show a probability number. The player rolls two dice. If the number rolled is equal to or less than the probability number, the weapon has scored damage on the target. The extent of this damage is determined by using the EFFECT OF HIT TABLE and cross-indexing the weapon type with the range. This table will give a number which will be the number of hits scored on the target. The number of hits is the number of systems destroyed on the target ship. These hits will be scored on the ship in a manner determined by the type of weapon fired. See ship system rules (6.0), (7.0), (8.01). In certain cases, what would normally be recorded as a hit may be negated by a ship's special defense systems (7.0).
(5.4) Weapons Effects
Weapons hits are scored against the target by checking off the systems destroyed on the targets control sheet. Fractional hits are handled as follows. When 1/2 of a hit is scored, the system affected is circled rather than marked out. It is not affected (can still be used) until it receives another 1/2 or full point of damage. When a full point or more of damage is scored on a ship whose last hit destroyed the first 1/2 of a system, the next full point of damage is treated as only 1/2 point. That is, a 1 point hit would never carryover onto another system, but would simply finish off the system that has 1/2 point of damage.
The various weapon types score hits in the following manner:
(5.41) Guns, Missiles and Force Beams score hits from the left, destroying each system in turn.
(5.42) Energy Beams skip (ignore) Armor and Holds.
(5.43) Laser Beams skip (ignore) Shields.
(5.44) Primary Beams skip (ignore) Shields and Armor and randomly hit one of the next six systems available (determined by die roll).
For a more complete explanation of these weapon systems see Explanation of Ship Systems (6.0).
(5.5) A given ship may only fire at one target in a given game turn, unless it is equipped with Multiplex Tracking (8.5).
(5.6) See PROBABILITY OF HIT TABLE and EFFECT OF HIT TABLE.
(5.7) All weapons have a firing arc of 360°. They may fire in any direction regardless of the facing of the ship. Also see rule (12.6).
(5.8) A given ship may only fire its weapons once per game turn, however, a ship may be fired upon by as many enemy ships as the enemy player desires in a given game turn.
(5.9) Combat Example #1
The Terran Cruiser WISCONSIN is in a particularly exposed position at the end of movement. Because of this, the Terran player fires its weapons first, virtually destroying a Khanate Destroyer. But now, it is the turn of the Khanate player, and he prepares to fire one of his Cruisers at the WISCONSIN. The Ol' Wik, as she is known to her crew, is:
S S S S S S S S S S A A H W l O P W I (M2) 0 W F H O D C I I I
The Khanate Cruiser has been damaged, and has only two Force Beams and one primary Beam left. Firing at a range of 4 hexes, the Khanate player rolls a "5" and an "11" for the Force Beams, so only one has hit. At a range of 4 hexes, a Force Beam does 2 points of damage, both of which are scored on Shields. The Khanate player then rolls a "6" for the Primary Beam, which has hit. His second die roll for the Primary is a four, so the hit is scored on the Overload Dampener, which was the fourth system inside the Armor. The WISCONSIN now looks like this:
x x S S S S S S S S A A H W I x P W I (M2) 0 W F HOD C I I I
On the Terran's next turn, he fires a ship on the other side of the board. It has no effect on the Wik's situation. The Khanate player, however, has decided to turn the heavy weapons of one of his Battleships on the WISCONSIN. The Battleship, at a range of 3 hexes, has 2 Force Beams, 2 Primaries, 2 Gun-Missile Launchers, and 2 Energy Beams. The Khanate player decides to first fire his Primaries, hoping to knock out any internal defensive systems. He rolls two hits, and then for his secondary die rolls gets a "2" and a "6". The two is scored against the W (gun-missile) system, which was the second one inside. But the second is scored against the Multiplex Tracking unit (originally the 8th system) because two systems ahead of it were previously destroyed. Selecting next his Force Beams, the Khanate player again rolls two hits (at 3 hexes only a "12" would miss), which score 3 points of damage each. All of this is scored against Shields. At a range of 3, Guns have an equal chance of a hit with Missiles. Fearing that Point Defense systems may still be operational, he decides to fire his Gun-Missile Launchers as guns. He rolls a "4" and a "7", scoring two hits. These take out the last two Shields. In response to rule (2.321), the Terran player now announces "shields down". The Khanate player now knows that his Energy Beams will do good damage, and fires them. Unfortunately, only one actually hits (the odds caught up with the Khan, who rolled a "12"), but at this range, it does three points of damage. These are offset by the two remaining Overload Dampeners, so only one is scored. As Energy Beam hits ignore Armor and Holds, the hit is scored against the Engine. The WISCONSIN is now:
xxxxxxxxxxAAH xxxPWI xOWFH 0 DC III
Having lost an Engine, and being forced to turn around (which uses up time) the Ol' Wik ends up at one hex range from the Battleship. Unfortunately, the Khanate wins the initiative in this turn (rule 3.21) and elects to fire his Battleship at the WISCONSIN. Desiring to do internal damage first, the Khanate player would like to fire his Primary Beams. But having fired them last turn, he cannot fire then on this turn (see rule 6.5). So, he decides to fire his Energy Beams, figuring that they will skip the Armor and Holds and wreak havoc on the ship. At this range, he cannot miss, and his Energy Beams score 10 points of damage. Hearing this, the Terran player notes that if his Overload Dampeners negate two of the hits, the remaining 8 will still wipe out most of the ship, including the Overloads. So, using rule (7.4), he allows the Overloads to burn out, negating 8 points of damage (4 each). The remaining two points destroy the Primary Beam and Gun-Missile Launcher, (in addition to the Overloads). Now using his Force Beams (again an automatic hit for both of them) the Khanate Battleship scores 8 points of damage. These destroy the Armor, the first Hold, an Engine, a Gun-Missile Launcher, the Force Beam, another Hold, and the Point Defense System. The Battleship, using Multiplex Tracking, fires his Gun-Missile Launcher as Missiles against another ship. The WISCONSIN, after enduring all that the Battleship has done, is:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCIII
It will not likely survive another turn.
(5.10) Combat Example #2
The Terran Cruiser OKLAHOMA has two Point Defense systems. She is fired on by a Khanate Destroyer, using two Missiles. Each of the Point Defense systems is allocated one of these, and each will destroy the incoming Missile (assuming that the PROBABILITY OF HIT TABLE (5.6) showed them to be hits) on a die roll of "1" thru "5". In this case, the Terran rolls a "2" and a "4", and both Missiles are stopped just short of the hull. On a later turn, three Khanate Light Cruisers, using DataLink, fire a total of 12 Missiles at the OKLAHOMA. The Khanate player is rather lucky with his die rolls, and 9 of these are found to have "hit". But the Point Defense systems may be able to "negate" a portion of these.
The first Missile is taken on by Point Defense system A. The die rolled, and found to be a "4". The Missile is stopped. The second Missile is fielded by Point Defense system B, which rolls a "1", again stopping the Missile. The third Missile is the target of system A, but this time only a "1" thru "4" is a successful intercept. The die roll is a "3", and the Missile is stopped. The fourth Missile is attacked by Point Defense system B, which rolls a "5". The Missile is not intercepted and hits the ship. The fifth Missile is tackled by Point Defense system A, and stopped with a die roll of "3" (a "4" would have let the Missile hit the ship). Point Defense B is inaccurate again, rolling a "4", and letting the sixth Missile hit the ship. This hit destroys Point Defense A.
The seventh Missile is tackled by Point Defense B (the only one left) and only a "1" or "2" is a successful intercept. The die roll is a "2" and the Missile is stopped. The eighth Missile is now up, and only a "1" will stop it. A "1" is rolled and it is stopped. The ninth, tenth, and eleventh Missiles hit automatically, as no Point Defense system can take on more than 5 Missiles in a volley.
(6.0) Weapons
(6.1) GUN - (G) - This weapon is remarkably similar to the naval guns of today. It fires a nuclear shell. The shell is completely "dumb", having no homing or terminal guidance of any kind. This is not a drawback, however, in that the shell, once fired, cannot be jammed, intercepted or diverted. The probability of a hit with the Gun falls off dramatically with range. However, the effect of a hit (if one is made) is not affected by distance. One Gun hit destroys one system. Guns always hit the last system on the left end of the Control Sheet, skipping nothing.
(6.2) MISSILE - (R) - This weapon, again, is not unlike those already in existence. It has a longer range than the Gun and a better chance of a hit at all but the shortest ranges. At very short ranges its chances of a hit are small, but they steady out at about 80% for most of their range. Missile hits, if scored, count exactly like Gun hits. They each destroy one system, and always the last one on the left. Missiles may, however, be stopped (destroyed before reaching the target) by Point Defense (7.3).
(6.3) GUN-MISSILE LAUNCHER - (W) - This system is simply a cannon barrel that has been designed to fire shells or missiles. In use, the player simply designates which type of ammunition he is firing as he fires the weapon. It cannot do both in a single turn. This weapon scores hits according to which type of ammunition is being fired.
(6.4) FORCE BEAM - (F) - This weapon is, in the purest sense, a magnetic fist which rams the other ship and does damage by kinetic energy. The damage caused (assuming a hit is made) is a function of range. The closer you are the more damage you do. Hits are recorded just as Gun hits are, that is, they always hit the extreme left system on the track of the target ship or base.
(6.5) PRIMARY BEAM - (P) - This is a modification of the Force Beam. The Force Beam spreads its compressive energy over an area measured in meters. The Primary Beam concentrates this same force over an area measured in centimeters. Primary Beams score hits directly against ship systems by a slightly different technique than the other weapons. Primaries ignore Shields and Armor, and score against the ship by a random method. If the PROBABILITY OF HIT TABLE indicates a hit, the firing player rolls a single die and the hit is scored against the Nth system from the left (ignoring Shields and Armor). For example, if the player rolled a 5, then the 5th system would be destroyed. If the number rolled is higher than the number of undestroyed non-Armor and non-Shield systems left on the ship, then it is considered a miss. Primary Beams can only be fired every other turn, as the crystals and lenses are burned out and must be replaced.
(6.6) LASER BEAM - (L) - Very high-powered gas laser, vastly upgraded from early models. This weapon is short-ranged, relatively inexpensive, and may score more or less than one hit each time it fires, depending on range. Such hits are scored like all hits from left to right. However, Laser Beams ignore Shields and score their hits beginning with the Armor (or if there is no Armor, with internal systems).
(6.7) ENERGY BEAM - (E) - This weapon is a charged particle beam projectile, and functions by firing excited helium nuclei at the target. These particles build up a charge much like static electricity on the ship's hull, and this charge continues to build until something gives. The weapon may score from 1/2 to 5 hits on a given firing, depending on range. These hits will score against systems from left to right, but will ignore Armor and Cargo Holds. Energy Beams may be negated by Overload Dampeners (7.4).
(7.0) Defensive Systems
(7.1) SHIELD - (S) - Basically electromagnetic, these will provide some degree of protection to the ship, primarily by collapsing. Each hit of various types will collapse one unit of Shields, but his allows the ship to go on more or less undamaged.
(7.2) ARMOR - (A) - This is not just aluminum-titanium-manganese-molybdenum-steel alloys, it also reflects general structural toughness and beefed-up framing. Factors of Armor work in a way similar to Shields, as they are destroyed by taking hits and (in many cases) prevent or delay damage to interior systems.
(7.3) POINT DEFENSE - (D) - This is a multiplex weapons mount including lasers, high-speed cannon and short-range Missiles. Its purpose is to detect, track, and destroy incoming Missiles before they strike the ship. The concept of how the Point Defense system operates can be a bit difficult to grasp. Out of a given volley of Missiles, use the PROBABILITY OF HIT TABLE to determine which Missiles have "hit", and which have "missed". Those which are shown to have missed have passed so far from the ship that the defensive systems ignore them, and only those which are shown on the table to have "hit" are taken by Point Defense. In the purest sense, Missiles found to have "hit" on the PROBABILITY OF HIT TABLE are more correctly described as "will hit if not stopped by Point Defense". The system can be overwhelmed, however, and each succeeding Missile in a given volley has a better chance of getting through. A volley is defined as fire from a single ship or a group of ships using DataLink (see 12.2). This first Missile will be successfully intercepted on a die roll of 1-5, the second on 1-4, the third on 1-3, the fourth on 1-2 and the fifth on 1. The sixth and all successive Missiles in a given volley will automatically hit and cause damage. The Point Defense system is used against Missiles found to have hit by the PROBABILITY OF HIT TABLE. Thus, when fired at ships having Point Defense, Missiles must go through two die rolls, one to get to the target and the other to get past the Point Defense system. If a given ship has more than one Point Defense system, each fires at incoming Missiles in rotation. The first Point Defense system fires at the first Missile, the second Point Defense fires at the second Missile and so on until all Point Defense systems have fired once. Then the first Point Defense system fires again and so on. No incoming Missile may be fired upon by more than one Point Defense and no Point Defense may fire more than once at a given Missile. Each Point Defense keeps track of Missiles fired at (for diminishing returns) for itself. Note that Missiles fired from different ships are counted as separate volleys unless using DataLink.
(7.4) OVERLOAD DAMPENER - (O) - This is a gigantic capacitor which stores the energy of an Energy Beam and then bleeds it off into space. Each undestroyed Overload Dampener in a ship negates one Energy Beam hit (one damage point) per volley (NOT per turn). Note that this only affects Energy Beams, and not any other type of beam. An Overload Dampener may be allowed to absorb four points of Energy Beam hits in a single volley, but this will burn it out completely (it is marked off as a destroyed system).
(8.0) Other Ship Systems
(8.1) CARGO HOLDS - (H) - These are used to expand the ship's ability to operate away from bases for a period of time. In campaign games, it is suggested that the ship be allowed to operate for four months for each Cargo Hold. In combat scenarios, the Hold is simply a cheap system that can be done without if lost in battle. No ship, except Freighters, may have over 10% of its available space as Cargo Holds, but any ship may have at least one Cargo Hold. Cargo Holds are generally large almost empty spaces in the ship's structure. There is a considerable possibility that an incoming hit would cause the collapse of several Cargo Holds. When several Cargo Holds are arranged on the ship's Control Sheet in succession (for example, a small Freighter might be S S A H H H H H H H H H H H H H I I) any hit which is scored against the first Hold in the series will actually destroy one to six Cargo Holds (the actual number is determined by rolling a single die).
Example: A Cruiser ends its movement within two hexes of the Freighter listed above. It fires two Force Beams at the Freighter and scores a hit with both, getting a total of six points of damage. The first three are scored against the Shields and Armor, but the other three score on Cargo Holds. Noting that 15 Holds are in succession, the attacking player rolls a die, with a result of 4. The first hit on the Cargo Holds destroys four of them (leaving eleven). Then another die is rolled (for the second damage point), resulting in a two. The second hit has destroyed two Cargo Holds (leaving 9). The die is rolled again, with a "6" result. The third hit destroys six Cargo Holds, leaving only 3 undestroyed. In a later turn the Cruiser fires one Force Beam at the Freighter, scoring three hits. Noting that the first is against Holds, the firing player rolls one die, getting a "2" as a result. This destroys only two of the Holds. The firing player uses his second hit to destroy the last Hold (no matter what he rolls, there is only one Hold to be destroyed) and the third hit destroys the first Ion Engine. On a later turn, virtually any fire at the Freighter will destroy it.
(8.2) BULKHEAD - (B) - The Bulkhead is put into Freighters only. Its sole purpose is to break up long strings of Cargo Holds into smaller compartments which cannot be destroyed as easily (a series of Cargo Holds collapsing from a single hit would stop upon reaching a Bulkhead). There can be a maximum of one Bulkhead for each four Cargo Holds.
(8.3) TRACTOR BEAM - (T) - During the Tractor Beam Phase of a given turn each player may use the Tractor Beam or Beams of any or all of his ships equipped with these beams to "latch" onto opponents' ships. A Tractor Beam may be used against anyone enemy ship at any range between 0 and 5 hexes. At this range, the beam is automatically successful. Tractor Beams are automatically cut by Shearing Planes (8.4). That is, a Tractor Beam cannot attach to a ship which has an undestroyed Shearing Plane.
A ship may attach a Tractor Beam to an enemy ship of any size. If the two ships are of different sizes, the smaller of the two ships MUST shut down its engines or the forces will pull the ship to pieces. A ship which has its engines shut down may not move using its own engines during the Movement Phase of any subsequent game turn as long as the Tractor Beam remains attached. This is the only instance in which a ship is not required to expend all of its movement points during the Movement Phase. When the ships differ in size, in subsequent Movement Phases the smaller of the two ships will be moved on an identical course as the larger ship. Two ships of equal size will not move during subsequent Movement Phases as long as the ships remain tractored. However, at the END of each Movement Phase (after all normal movement is completed) the smaller of the two ships involved (or both ships in the case of mutual tractoring) is moved one hex closer to the tractoring ship. A ship with an enemy ship in its Tractor Beam moving on an identical course MAY NOT move in a way which would cause the tractored ship to move off the edge of the map.
Once a Tractor Beam has been established (the target must have no Shearing Plane) it can only be broken by destroying the Tractor Beam on the tractoring ship, or by being voluntarily released. If at the instant of firing, a ship has a Tractor Beam on its target, then the following effects are noted: Firing ranges for the PROBABILITY OF HIT TABLE are reduced by three (for the tractoring ship ONLY). The hit effect (amount of damage) is not reduced. Missiles fired by the tractoring ship automatically hit the tractored ship (if that was the target) unless stopped by Point defense. If the target is adjacent to or in the same hex as the firing ship, the owner of either ship may demand to see the control sheet for the opponents' ship, showing what systems are working and in what priority order they were placed. The decision by one of the players to not look at the other ship's control sheet does not affect the second player's right to see the first player's control sheet. If the tractoring ship has Primary Beams and the target is tractored and in the same hex or adjacent hex, then the owner of the tractoring ship may designate any system on the track as its target and automatically hit it with the Primary Beams instead of rolling a die for hits.
Ships held by Tractor Beams add three to the ranges for the PROBABILITY OF HIT TABLE (NOT the EFFECT OF HIT TABLE) for everything except Missiles. Missiles fired automatically hit the tractoring ship (unless stopped by Point Defense). One Tractor Beam (ships may carry several) may only attach one target at a time. If a ship has several, it may tractor a like number of ships if the attempts to tractor are successful. A ship may always fire at any ship it has in a Tractor Beam, whether or not it has Multiplex Tracking, so long as it has enough weapons to physically fire at that many ships.
It is theoretically possible to have long chains of ships linked to each other by Tractor Beams. This could result in virtually every ship on board moving in sequence with the one large ship in the middle of the Tractor chain that is controlling movement by virtue if its great size. In such scenarios (there are far too many possible combinations for specific rules) players should be guided by the following principles. When ships are linked in multi-ship chains, the ships must all shut down their engines except for the largest ship (measured in hull spaces (13.5)) in the chain. If there are two ships of equal size which are the largest ships in the chain, nothing in the chain moves in normal movement. When moving tractored ships closer to tractoring ships, no ship is moved unless in doing so it can be moved closer to every ship with which it has a Tractor Beam link.
During the Tractor Beam Phase, each Tractor Beam may only attempt to link onto another ship one time. If this attempt fails (because the other ship used its Shearing Plane) the Tractor Beam cannot be used again during that Phase. The success or failure of a given ship to use Tractor beams, or of a given Tractor Beam of a given ship, has no effect on the use of Tractor Beams by other ships in that turn.
(8.4) SHEARING PLANE - (C) - The presence of a Shearing Plane on a ship prevents a ship being attached to by the Tractor Beam (8.3) of another ship. One Shearing Plane may negate any number of Tractor Beams.
(8.5) MULTIPLEX TRACKING - (M2) - No ship may fire at more than one ship in a given turn unless it is equipped with Multiplex Tracking. The number of different targets at which a ship which is equipped with Multiplex Tracking may fire is equal to the number after the "M" specifying the system as Multiplex Tracking. A ship with the system "(M2)" is equipped with Multiplex Tracking sophisticated enough to enable it to fire at two targets simultaneously. Likewise, a ship with "(M4)" could fire at four different targets simultaneously. The entire symbol "(M2)" is treated as one system on the ship control sheet and destroyed as such. Players should refer to the cost chart (13.6) for the cost of installing Multiplex Tracking in ships built from scratch.
(8.6) SCIENCE INSTRUMENTS - (X) - These systems serve no function in the game, except when a player is required to move a ship equipped with these instruments to a particular spot in order to fulfill the victory conditions for a scenario.
(8.7) ADVANCED MANEUVERING - There is not a letter designation for this system because it is not considered a system in the same way that other systems are. It cannot be destroyed by combat and remains in use as long as the given ship equipped with this system has at least one Ion Engine remaining. It is simply the use of more expensive control systems which allow the turn mode of a ship to be reduced by one point below what it would normally be.
(8.8) ION ENGINE UNITS - (I) - These provide the motive power of ships. Each ship has a movement allowance equal to the number of undestroyed ion engines it has (4.2).
(9.0) Non-Ship Units
(9.1) BASES - A Base is simply treated as a floating weapons platform. It is treated like a ship except that it cannot move. It fires and is fired on in the same manner that a ship is. A Base maintains a system control sheet similar to that of a ship. A Base may possess a Tractor Beam as a system, but a ship or another Base may not use a Tractor Beam against a Base. A Base does not occupy the entire amount of space contained in a hex and any number of ships of any player may enter the same hex which contains a Base. A Base may also be in the same hex as a Planet or a Warp Point.
(9.2) PLANETS - A Planet may serve a particular function in a given scenario. Players may refer to the scenarios (11.0) for details on their use. A Planet, like a Base, does not occupy the entire amount of space contained in a hex and may occupy the same hex as any number of ships and/or Bases. Refer to (12.4) for an optional, more complex, treatment of Planets.
(9.3) STARS - A Star, like a Planet, may be found in a given scenario and its effect is explained in each scenario in which it is used. No ship may ever be moved to within four hexes of a Star. (Exception to this is found in Scenario VII).
(9.4) WARP POINT - A Warp Point is a physical point in space which is connected to another Warp Point by a warp link. The warp link is a pathway between the two Warp Points which is outside the known universe. Ships which enter the warp link from one Warp Point appear instantaneously at the other Warp Point of that link. In game terms, a Warp Point is a point of the map in which any ship may "vanish" from the map or "appear" on the map from another point in space. A Warp Point does not occupy the entire amount of space contained in a hex and thus a ship or Base may be in the same hex as a Warp Point without having to leave the map through the Warp Point. Any ship which enters a hex containing a Warp Point may, at the option of the owning player, exit the map through the Warp Point. To do this, the owning player simply removes the ship from the map sheet. A ship leaving in this way may not re-enter the scenario. A ship entering the map sheet via a Warp Point does so as specified by the particular scenario being played. A ship entering the map sheet in this way is placed on the hex containing the Warp Point (with the facing either specified by the scenario or determined by the owning player). The placing of a ship on the Warp Point is not considered regular movement and never requires the expenditure of movement points although the ship is placed on the Warp Point at the beginning of the Movement Phase in which it is due to appear in the scenario.
A ship which is caught in the Tractor Beam of another ship and has its engines shut down and moving an identical course as the ship tractoring it may not leave the map through a Warp Point unless both ships are in the same hex as the Warp Point simultaneously and the tractoring ship also leaves the map. A ship that is tractoring or being tractored by a ship of equal size may not leave the map via a Warp Point.
(10.0) Preparing for Play
The scenarios of STARFIRE are intended to be played as a series one after another as a simulation of the First and Second Interstellar Wars between Earth and the Khanate of Orion. Players may wish to play the scenarios in this way or may prefer to pick a scenario which appeals to them and play it. Rules which are used to create your own ships and build your own fleets may also be used. These rules are presented in a later rules section (13.0).
The players should begin by reading all the way through the instructions of the scenario to be played, noting any special rules and the victory conditions. The players then place the map on a flat surface and place any counters required by the scenario (such as a Star, Warp Points or Bases) on the map in the hexes as listed. Each player then selects a counter from the counter sheet to represent each of his ships and copies onto scratch paper the control record of each of his ships and any Base he controls. The players then follow the directions of the scenario and play for the specified number of turns or length of time at which time the scenario ends and victory is determined.
(10.1) INITIATIVE AND SEQUENCE OF PLAY FOR THREE PLAYER SCENARIOS - In the three player scenarios (#9 and #10) all three players roll a die for Initiative, and all three are arranged in order, breaking ties if necessary. One player will be the first to fire and the last to move, another second to move and second to fire, while the third player must move first and fire last.
(11.0) Advanced Rules (Optional)
Players may add any of these rules to increase their enjoyment of the game.
(12.1) Damage Control
Ships that are not damaged for three consecutive turns may, on that third turn, and on all consecutively following turns in which the ship is not damaged, erase one Shield hit. Other systems cannot be repaired with less than hours or days in a Base station, and hits on those systems are regarded as permanent within the context of the game.
(12.2) DataLink
Ships may have special DataLink equipment installed on them in their original construction. Ships with such equipment are organized into groups of two or three before the scenario begins. The groups may not be reorganized during the course of the scenario. Ships which are grouped into DataLink groups may, during the course of the scenario, be fired SIMULTANEOUSLY (all fire is timed by the on-board computers to arrive at the target at the same time, thereby overwhelming the defenses). If three ships using DataLink were to all fire Missiles at a single target, those Missiles would be treated as a single volley for defense purposes. Each ship in a group of two or three ships which are using DataLink to fire must be within 3 hexes of a least one other ship in the group. Ships with DataLink equipment (and in the same group) which are more than three hexes apart may not fire simultaneously. DataLink equipment is fragile, and must be installed between the Shields and Armor to function. As such, it is easily lost on ships with inadequate shielding. NOTE: One of the most devastating combinations possible is three Battleships with about twice the normal number of Shields and with heavy weapons, particularly Missiles. The heavy Shields of each ship would, hopefully, prevent it from taking any real (non-Shield) damage during the scenario, while the DataLink assisted weapons would easily handle any opponent, except one using an identical group, or a horde of small ships with Lasers. Primary Beams do not affect DataLink systems. This is because the DataLink arrays cover a wide area, and a 5 cm hole anywhere in the array is not all that damaging.
(12.3) Geomorphic Maps
Players who wish to do so may cut the STARFIRE map into four equal sections along the lines provided. If this is done, running battles can be played (long pursuit scenarios) simply by picking up the unused map sections on one end, and placing them down on the far end so that the ships can move onto them. In this way, a theoretically infinite map can be created. Players may also, when playing unusually large scenarios (50 or more ships), wish to obtain from various commercial sources a larger hex sheet (or several of them) to provide additional maneuver room.
(12.4) Planets
While Planets do not fill the entire hex, they are still a considerable mass and can tend to obstruct fire. If the line of fire (from center of firing ship's hex to the center of the target ship's hex) passes through any part of the hex which includes a Planet, or a Star, then the Planet (or Star) tends to block fire. If one or both ships is within 3 hexes of the Planet, then fire cannot take place without the permission of the target ship (by exposing himself to fire), and in that case fire is assumed to be simultaneous between the two ships. This simultaneous fire, if used by the second player, is considered to be his next "turn" to fire and the first player (the one who first designated fire past the Planet or Star) would fire another ship before the second player could fire again.
(12.5) Simultaneous Movement
Players who wish a little more guesswork in their games can experiment with simultaneous movement. To do this, simply decide the movement for each ship and secretly write it down each turn, your opponent does likewise. This can create some surprising situations, in that you will be forced to move your ships where you plotted for them to move, but your plan may have been based on an incorrect assessment of the enemy's intentions.
(12.6) Restricted Field of Fire
When using this optional rule, ships may not fire weapons through the hex side directly to the rear of the ship (giving them a 60° blind spot). This is because of the bulk and exhaust of the engines.
Designer's Notes
The basic concepts for STARFIRE began with an early version of the game, by the same designer, which was published in 1975. The purpose of that game was to create a system simple enough to allow entire fleets to be used. While the game, as published by TASK FORCE GAMES, bears the same name, and some similarities in game mechanics, only the concept of simplicity in the individual ships allowing larger scenarios survives. The game, as now published, is a completely new design. The heart of the game is in the inter-relationships of the families of weapons. The ten scenarios develop these relationships through the device of a Science Fiction "history" of two interstellar wars. This also makes STARFIRE an excellent game for beginners, since they are not required to memorize the entire rule book before starting to play.
But the primary point of the game is still to create a system that is rich in flavor and action, but simple enough in its execution on a ship versus ship basis that large fleets (and what gamer doesn't at least DREAM of using every counter in a super-scenario) can be handled within the space of a single evening. This does not mean that the smaller scenarios are, by any means, only a training device. There are a large number of people that actually like games that are complete, and yet can be played in half an hour. Whether this is to allow them to play several times, or at odd moments, is of no importance. The point is that STARFIRE was designed to be a complete, yet fast playing, game.
Player's Notes
The key to the entire game is eliminating enemy weapons (and sometimes also enemy ships, but this is NOT necessarily the same thing). To do this, you must bring superior firepower to the decisive point of the battle. Generally, it is preferable to keep the fleet together, so that part of it cannot be crushed while the rest is out of range. With decisive ranges for most weapons at only three or four hexes it can be possible to have part of the fleet destroyed while still in sight of the main force. Players should analyze their ships and the combat tables closely, and fight at their best ranges. Concentrated fire against each enemy ship in turn, reducing each to an ineffective hulk, will usually produce good results. One word on Multiplex Tracking, M2 can be convenient, allowing a large ship to fire Missiles at a distant target and Beams at a close one. Anything over that (M3, etc.) is useful only at long ranges, or against several weak targets. Most Battleships do not have enough weapons to bring effective fire against three or four targets.