Wormhole Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Who Are the Sathricans?
  • Faction Rules
• Game Elements
  • Vessels and Bases
  • TOS (Tactical Orders and Status) Units
  • Data Inserts
  • Reference / Stat Cards
  • Required Game Elements
• How Do I Plan for a Game?
• How Do I Design a Fleet?
• Game Construction
• How Do I Set Up My Fleet?
  • Standard Wormhole Engagement
• How Do I Play the Game?
  • Turn Sequence / Phases and Initiative
  • Orders Phase
  • Special Orders Phase
  • Movement Phase
  • Attack Phase
  • Tracking Damage
  • Cleanup Phase / Vessel Repair
  • End of Turn
• How Do I End a Game?
• Advanced Rules
  • Abandon Ship
  • Wormholes
  • Ramming
  • Bigger Explosions and Debris Fields
  • Orders Loss
• Scenarios
  • Standard Engagement
  • Training Mission
  • Supply Run
  • Reinforcements
  • Gauntlet
    • Gauntlet Part I: The Assault Begins
    • Gauntlet Part 2: Stronger Resistance
    • Gauntlet Part 3: The Final Assault
  • Sector Command
  • Endurance Trial
• Glossary

Who Are the Sathricans?

The Sathricans were once a perfectly balanced society, ruled by an ancient and benevolent monarchy. The riches of peace had relegated their greatest machines of war to the mundane of orbital defense and system wide transport. All of this was to change however with the unexpected approach of the "great system eater" the Pariyan Mega-Outburst.

This unstoppable cataclysmic force, once a mere dot in the sky had become a great bubbling white mass covering the night in an undulating horror. Like titanic storm clouds pushing through the void of space, engulfing entire solar systems. Worlds stripped clean, sterilized down to the very rock itself. Even Sathrica's greatest astronomers could not explain its nature or the speed in which it approached. These many unknowns prompted an epic debate within the highest reaches of the Sathrican council. How to deal with an evacuation on the scale of billions? Who would be saved? How would they be saved? Time did not smile upon Sathrica and as the months progressed, a violent fissure developed within this once peaceful society.

Against all prediction Sathrica found itself thrown headlong into civil war, fighting their brothers with a long forgotten savagery. Destroying the very thing they so desperately wanted to save.

The Royalist Faction, those loyal to the ancient monarchy, believed that they held a responsibility to preserve a considered segment of bloodlines and knowledge. The Royalists, knowing that with a third of their fleet gone they could not mount a realistic defence were forced to flee. The two factions have been rivals to this day, each blaming the other for what has befallen their people ever since.

The Separatist Faction, made up largely of displaced colonists who had fled to Sathris in the early days of the Pariyan Mega-Outburst, believed (rightly or not) that they were being sacrificed for no purpose. The Separatists fled from Sathris to gather their forces, to plan their upheaval, and to save as many as they could.

Faction Rules

Royalist (Blue)

• May include a single Skilled Commander insert at no cost, to be placed with any ship or capital ship.
• In a conflict between a Royalist Faction fleet and a Separatist Faction fleet, if Advantage is undecided by the scenario and fleet construction, the Royalist Faction fleet wins any tie in the die roll to decide initial Advantage.

Separatist (Orange)

• May include a single Ace Pilot insert at no cost, to be placed with any squadron.
• With a great deal of experience being "on the run", any Separatist ship that moves within 1" of a Wormhole token may count that move as a successful entry if they so choose.

Game Elements

Vessels and Bases

Each race in Wormhole has a distinct look and feel to its various vessels. Vessels also have specific markings to designate which faction they belong to, in this case the blue of the Royalists.

Each vessel, be it a capital ship like the Hammerhead Cruiser, a regular ship like the Particlebow Frigate, or even a squadron of fighters, is represented by the vessel itself, with a stand to attach it (and suspend it above) the base. The base has several important pieces of information.

0. Vessel Type: What type of vessel it is. Faction Symbol: Mark to identify which faction it belongs to.
1. Turn Arc: The range of mobility of the vessel...how far to the left or right it can turn.
2. Firing Arc: The field of fire of the vessel's weapon(s).
3. Center-mark: You'll use this reference point when executing a turn with your vessel.
4. Data Cubby: Ships and capital ships have a damage designator called a "Data Cube". At a player's preference, these can either sit loose upon the bases, or can be placed inside a Data Cubby.
5. ID Number: The numbers in these boxes match those on the TOS, showing that this vessel matches up with its according orders-and-status tracking device.
6. Shuttle Dock: Ships & capital ships have shuttle docks for optional game rules and scenarios.

TOS (Tactical Orders and Status) Units

1. Orders Switches: These blue-marked switches represent the orders you can issue to your vessel.
2. Status Lights: At status "Damaged" (in purple) the purple-lit switches are "shut down". At status "Crippled" (in red), the red switches also "shut down". These lights remind you of this.
3. Damage Track: This is the damage track, where damage levels are marked and repair difficulties displayed. The damage slider runs along this track, showing the current damage level.
4. Special Ability Switches: Some vessels have special ability switches.
5. Repair Switch: If this vessel has a repair order, this switch is activated. A repair switch normally shuts off all other switches.
6. ID Tag: Each TOS has an "ID Tag", a space where you can match a number up with the vessel's base, keeping track of which is which. The type of vessel is represented here as an icon, in this case a "Control Corvette". In its fully functional state, the number in the circle is the full orders capacity of the vessel.

Data Inserts

Data Inserts are comprised of two main elements, the Modchip Interface which slides into either side of the TOS unit and the Data Inserts themselves.

Data Inserts are add-ons to the vessels you purchase with your points, granting extra or improved capabilities to each. For each of these inserts that you purchase, select the proper "Insert" from the page of inserts, and slide it down onto the Modchip antenna Interface.

Legendary Commander (5 points, max 1 per fleet)

This is a Fleet Admiral (counts as, and takes the place of) with considerable talent and experience, better than the run-of-the-mill leaders out there. If you have a Legendary Commander in your fleet...and your opponent does not...then you gain Advantage for the entire engagement, so long as your Legendary Commander lives. If both players have Legendary Commanders, determine Advantage normally.

• Legendary Commanders always lead their fleets in person, so you must choose to include him in your fleet as your Fleet Admiral (see below). He is considered to be on-board the ship into whose TOS his insert is placed.
• Legendary Commanders cost 5 points per 50 points in the fleet they're placed in, with a minimum of 10 points.

Skilled Commander (5 pts, 1 per ship/capital)

This commander is a gifted and capable leader. Any ship with a Skilled Commander is considered to have the "Command" ability (already a trait of Command Corvettes and Hammerhead Cruisers) and for each Skilled Commander you possess, reduce the amount of Orders Loss (see Advanced Rules) you suffer each turn by 2.

• If you are not using the Orders Loss advanced rule, Skilled Commanders allow 1 die involving the ship they are on to be rerolled each turn (an attack roll, repair roll, etc.).

Heavy Railgun (20 pts, 1 per Hammerhead)

The Heavy Railgun (an optional weapon that is Hammerhead exclusive) can be fired during the Special Orders phase. Since both the Heavy Railgun and the Missile Salvo require a special order to fire, they can't both be used in the same turn.

• The Heavy Railgun has a RNG of 16" and a DMG of 4, and uses the standard firing arc. Unlike standard weapons, the Heavy Railgun is an "all or nothing" weapon. Roll only one die to mark damage, and on a success, count it as four marks.

Ace Fighters (5 pts, max 1 per squad)

The most skilled pilots, the most accurate gunners, and to top it all off...some special modifications make this squadron more than the average.

• Ace Fighters may execute one additional Move or Attack action each turn that doesn't get calculated into orders...designate this by placing the data insert on top of the opened order, and then simply repeat it at the appropriate time.

Missile Salvo (first two free, then 5 pts each, Hammerhead)

Hammerhead Cruisers start off with two missile salvos for free. Additional Missile Salvos may be purchased.

• Missile Salvos have an INI of 1, VEL 10", MOV 1, DEF 5+, and either deal 6 potential marks of explosive damage to the target, or detonate when destroyed in a capital ship sized explosion (deals 1 potential mark of explosive damage). Enemy autofire cannot be used when a Missile Salvo is about to ram their ship.

Printed discrepancy: the Hammerhead Cruiser reference card back gives the Missile Salvo's INI as 6, while the Data Insert page above and the Initiative chart on the Turn Sequence page give INI 1. The printed Data Insert page and Initiative chart are followed here.

Experienced Engineers (5 pts, 1 per ship/capital)

Long drilled and practiced in putting a ship that's falling apart back together again, experienced engineers make your repairs more efficient.

• Ships with Experienced Engineers on board get a +1 bonus to all of their Repair rolls.

Mission Briefing (no cost)

All squadrons docked with a Carrier can receive a "mission briefing" as a special order, which specifically targets an enemy vessel and grants a +1 bonus to mark that target. Use Mission Briefing inserts (with the ID number of the target vessel) to designate this.

You can self-laminate the target ID area of the Mission Briefing insert with scotch tape (transparent kind) or clear packing tape. Use dry erase markers to designate number ID's.

Implementing Your Fleet Admiral

Finally, after purchasing your extra options, decide if your Fleet Admiral is with the fleet, or giving orders from the outside. If you choose to have your Fleet Admiral on board one of your ships, hang the Fleet Admiral insert on the Modchip aboard the chosen ship.

Due to the direct presence of a Fleet Admiral onboard, orders can never be taken away from that ship from orders loss (that ship gains the Command trait).

An admiral on board one of your fleet ships always grants that ship a bonus order (of any type) that doesn't get calculated into the normal orders...designate this by placing the Fleet Admiral insert behind the desired order switch, and then simply repeat that order at the appropriate time.

If the vessel the Fleet Admiral is on board is lost, and the Fleet Admiral himself killed or captured, you automatically lose Advantage for the remainder of the battle...assuming your opponent doesn't also lose their Fleet Admiral in the same way.

Reference / Stat Cards

Reference card front

1. Ship Profile, Racial Fleet and Size Class.
2. VEL: Speed (in inches)...how far the vessel can move in a single move order. MOV: Number of move orders per turn the vessel can receive. ATK: Number of attack orders per turn the vessel can receive. INI: Initiative...how quickly it acts in each phase. ARM: Type of armor: Light (L), Medium (M), Heavy (H). DEF: Defense roll to resist damage. The red status markers (1 and 0) indicate damage status penalties (see page 24).
3. Traits quick reference, described on the back of the card.
4. Point Cost.
5. Command Symbol (only appears on ships with the Command Vessel trait).
6. Standard weapons. These weapons need an Attack order, and use the vessel's fire arc(s).
7. Autofire weapon. This weapon fires automatically, and in any direction.
8. Special Weapon. Some weapons have special rules associated with them.

Reference card back

1. Ship Profile, Racial Fleet and Size Class. These are repeated from the front of the card.
2. Description of the vessel.
3. General Attributes.
4. Traits: These are various abilities, drawbacks, and bonuses of the vessel. Each one described what it does and what effect it has.
5. Vessel Point Cost.
6. Special Cost: Some traits (particularly Special Orders) come with a cost associated with it. This symbol describes what you need to do to activate that ability - whether it's issuing a Special Order, giving up an Insert, or something else.

Required Game Elements

To get yourself up and running you will need to build a number of game relevant materials. All of these items come with a full instruction guide (build instructions) included in this product. Many items are also covered by extensive online video tutorials at http://www.worldworksgames.com/wormhole/vidtut.html.

Required game elements:

• Vessels and Bases (based on your fleet design).
• Matching TOS unit for every vessel. For every vessel in your fleet you will need to construct the following: Vessel Model; Vessel Base; TOS Unit; Datacube (optional, but recommended for a quick reference table overview).
• Reference cards for fleet (one deck per player). You will need a deck of reference/stat cards for each player. Unlike the TOS you will only need one card of each relevant class for reference.
• One game ruler per player.
• Booms! Two copies of game explosion and debris fields.
• Damage-total wedge (found in Command Tray document).

Optional game elements:

• Modchip Interface and Data Inserts.
• Command tray for Ships and Fighters. The TOS units are much easier to organize by utilizing the optional "Command Tray" system.
• Datacubes for Ships/Capital Ships.
• Vessel number ID stickers. The "Game Aids" folder includes a page of number stickers, which you can cut out and affix to the vessel base and TOS.
• Escape Pod, Shuttle, Missile & Self destruct tokens.
• Wormholes.

How Do I Plan for a Game?

The first step in playing a game of Wormhole is to decide on what sort of battle you are interested in playing. You can either opt for a default battle of equal forces (referred to as a "Standard Wormhole Engagement"), or you can select from one of the scenarios in the back of this rulebook, or design one of your own.

You will also need to settle on how many points each side will be allowed, the length of the game in turns (if not specified by the Scenario), who will be playing either side (in Scenarios that have different rules for each player), which race and/or faction each player will be running, if you will be using the Advanced Rules for the engagement, and whether or not you will be using the Data Cubes to display ship status.

Game Plan Checklist

• Scenario (choose one) or Standard Engagement
• Point total for each side
• Who is playing which role (some Scenarios have an Attacker and a Defender)
• Race and Faction (other races will be introduced in later products)
• Advanced Rules allowed?
  • Abandon Ship
  • Wormholes--Reinforcements--Damage--Ramming
  • Bigger Explosions
  • Debris Fields
  • Orders Loss
• Are you going to use Data Cubes (both sides should do the same)?

Average battle: Fleet sizes of 250+ points, 8-10 turns. Fleet sizes of 150 points, 6 turns.

"Starter Fleet" construction: If you don't feel comfortable designing your own fleets from scratch just yet, we've made life easy for you and created a number of recommended fleet sizes for various scenarios. These "starter fleet" designs include a detailed list of everything you need to build to get a game up and running under a given scenario. Jump to the "Scenarios" section of this manual for more information.

How Do I Design a Fleet?

To design your fleet, you will first need to decide which vessels are appropriate for your needs. Each vessel has a specific function and utility, so it's important that you read through the Reference card for each before deciding. The chart shows how much each unit costs. Depending on the scenario you'll be building a fleet which costs anywhere from 75-250 points. Balancing the right mixture of vessels is half the fun but choose wisely.

Vessel	Points
Convoy Carrier	40
Hammerhead Battlecruiser	60
Control Corvette	25
Particlebow Frigate	25
Skirmish Fighters (squadron)	10
Missile Fighters (squadron)	10

Printed discrepancy: the Separatist sample fleet text on the same page gives the Convoy Carrier as 35 points, while the cost chart gives 40 points. The cost chart is followed here, and the sample fleet is listed as printed below.

If you are uncomfortable designing your own fleet from scratch, you will find a number of "starter fleets" at the beginning of each scenario near the end of this manual. These are just examples of possible combinations but they offer a good starting point for beginners.

Throughout this rulebook, we will be using two "sample fleets", one from the Royalist Faction of the Sathricans (Blue), and one from the Separatist Faction (Orange). Both of these sample fleets will be 150 points in size, suitable for a medium-sized Standard Engagement, and the examples relating to each faction will be color-coded to match.

• Royalist (Blue): a Hammerhead Cruiser (60 points), 2 Particlebow Frigates (25 points each) and 4 Missile Fighter squadrons (10 points each).
• Separatist (Orange): a Convoy Carrier (35 points as printed), a Particlebow Frigate (25 points), 2 Control Corvettes (25 points each), 3 Missile Fighter squadrons and 2 Skirmish Fighter squadrons (10 points each).

Game Construction

To get yourself up and running you will need to build the game materials listed in Game Elements above, following the build instructions included with this product.

How Do I Set Up My Fleet?

Standard Wormhole Engagement

The most basic version of the Wormhole game is a "Standard Wormhole Engagement". For this, no Wormhole tokens are used, just the basic 30"x40" Space Mat. A "Standard Wormhole Engagement" is six game turns long.

In a "Standard Wormhole Engagement", check to see if the players have spent equal points on their forces. If a player has spent fewer points on his force, he starts the game with Advantage. If the two forces are equal in points, and neither (or both) has a Legendary Commander, each player rolls a die, rerolling ties. The high-roller starts the game with Advantage.

Each player sets up their fleet in the first 8" space of their (short) side of the board. Vessels are placed in Initiative Band order, highest to lowest (Initiative covered on the next page). All Initiative Band 5 vessels are placed first, starting with the player who does not have Advantage. Then all Initiative Band 4 vessels, etc.

Up to four fighter squadrons can be deployed "inside" each Convoy Carrier at the start of the game. A Convoy Carrier and its associated fighter squadrons are counted as a single vessel in terms of ship placement, and is placed on the Carrier's INI (1).

Alternately, you can use a scenario (see the Scenarios section), which has separate rules for setup, game length, even fleet construction in some cases.

Deployment Flow Example

Both forces are of equal point value, so Vice Admiral Sac Retis of the Royalist faction rolls a 5 to determine advantage, while Commander Thomas of the Separatists rolls a 2. Vice Admiral Sac Retis begins the game with Advantage. Both players keep their Admiral "off-board".

Thomas has chosen to keep a Skirmish Fighter Squadron, and all three Missile Fighter Squadrons, on board his Convoy Carrier.

• Initiative Band 5: Thomas places his one remaining Skirmish Fighter Squadron (INI 5).
• Initiative Band 4: Sac Retis places his 4 Missile Fighter Squadrons.
• Initiative Band 3: Thomas places his Particlebow Frigate and his Control Corvettes, then Sac Retis places his Particlebow Frigates. All of these vessels have INI 3.
• Initiative Band 2: Sac Retis places his Hammerhead Cruiser.
• Initiative Band 1: Thomas places his Convoy Carrier.

How Do I Play the Game?

Turn Sequence / Phases and Initiative

Vessel Initiative

Each vessel has a specific initiative value as noted on their stat cards. This initiative determines the sequence in which each vessel may execute an action along specific phases of combat.

Vessel	Initiative (INI)
Skirmish Fighters	5
Missile Fighters	4
Control Corvette	3
Particlebow Frigate	3
Hammerhead Battlecruiser	2
Convoy Carrier	1
Missile Salvo	1
Autofire weapons	0

Phases of Combat

Once you have set up the game board according to the Standard Wormhole Engagement, or the chosen scenario, the game proceeds to follow through a specified number of turns. Each turn is made up of the following phases, in order:

1. Orders Phase
2. Special Orders Phase
3. Movement Phase
4. Attack Phase
5. Cleanup Phase
6. End of Turn

In the following pages we will take you by the hand and step you through each phase of combat.

Orders Phase

Command Capacity Basic

Command Capacity is the sum of all orders you can issue for all vessels (moves, attacks and special orders). For a basic game of Wormhole everyone receives maximum orders (and in the case of the Carrier, full repairs) at the start of each new round of play.

Command Capacity Advanced

If you are using the Orders Loss advanced rule, at the start of each turn, each commander totals up the command capacity of all ships in their fleet. This represents the player's base number of orders for his turn. Don't forget to count the squadrons that are carried by any Convoy Carriers on the table.

The Command Capacity is the sum of the number of yellow "execute" switches on the TOS unit itself. This step can be ignored if you aren't using Orders Loss.

Command Capacity Chart (capacity per vessel; the X columns give the total for that many vessels of the type)

Vessel	Capacity	x2	x3	x4	x5	x6	x7	x8
Convoy Carrier	8	16	24	32	40	48	56	64
Hammerhead Battlecruiser	4	8	12	16	20	24	28	32
Control Corvette	4	8	12	16

Capacity Damage Penalties

Ships and Capital Ships that are Damaged or Crippled have less orders they can execute. Ships at status "Damaged" (purple) cannot issue Special Orders and cannot issue multiple Move or Attack orders (their MOV and ATK drop to 1). Ships at status "Crippled" cannot issue Special, Move, or Attack orders and are (usually) reduced to attempting repair. The "status lights" under these order switches serve as a reminder of what damage levels shut off what switches. Fighter squadrons never have their orders capacity reduced.

• Damaged (4+): 2 orders.
• Crippled (5+): 1 order.

Order Bonuses

If your Fleet Admiral is present within the fleet itself, the vessel he is on board is considered a "Command" vessel, and has one extra order (of any type) it may execute in a turn. You represent your Fleet Admiral's order by removing the "Fleet Admiral" token from the Modchip interface and placing it behind the order you wish to conduct.

Note that the Fleet Admiral's Order can allow you to exceed the normal rules and limits for a vessel (such as executing two Special Orders, or conducting a Repair while still carrying out other orders), but it cannot allow you to issue an order you can't legally make (a Particlebow Frigate can't Hypercharge and FIRE! In the same turn, since one requires it not be charged up yet, while the other requires it already be charged when the orders are issued).

If you have any Ace Fighters, they, too, have duplicate orders in the form of Ace Maneuvers, to be placed as either extra Moves or Attacks. You represent this by placing the "Ace Fighters" token behind the move or attack switch you wish to duplicate.

Return the "Fleet Admiral" or "Ace Fighters" tokens to their Modchip interface once the orders have been executed.

Issuing Orders

Each commander issues orders by pulling down switches on his TOS. Remember that orders can be issued to squadrons even while on deck in a Convoy Carrier. On the TOS, flip down the orders switches to reveal the orders that are issued for the turn.

Repair Orders

• Only ships and capital ships have crew capable of responding to Repair orders.
• Squadrons are repaired on deck in Convoy Carriers.
• A vessel can only receive one Repair order per turn (note that Hammerhead Cruisers get two rolls from a single Repair order).
• A vessel cannot receive any other orders if it is issued a Repair order (exception: Convoy Carriers can repair and act at the same time). The Convoy Carrier issues Repair orders on the TOS like any other order.

Executing Orders

As your vessels conduct their orders during the game turn, flip the switches back up to designate the execution of those orders on the TOS. When the Fleet Admiral insert comes up, simply remove it from the order switch and place it back in the Modchip.

Orders Phase Example

Let's explore our two example fleets further. Recall that Vice Admiral Sac Retis has a Hammerhead Cruiser, 2 Particlebow Frigates and 4 Missile Fighter Squadrons.

Separatist leader Commander Thomas "The Mastermind" has a Convoy Carrier hauling three Missile Fighter Squadrons and a Skirmish Fighter Squadron, a loose Skirmish Fighter Squadron, his own Particlebow Frigate, and two Control Corvettes.

• V.A. Retis wants his Particlebow Frigates to charge up in preparation to fire, so he issues them both a Special Order, and nothing else (Particlebow Frigates can't receive any other orders when "Charging"). No targets are within range initially, and he wants to save his missiles, so V.A. Retis foregoes giving the HB a Special order, issuing 1 Move and two Attacks. Each Missile Fighter Squadron receives full orders.
• The Convoy Carrier issues a Special Order, briefing the three Missile Fighter squadrons on board. The Convoy Carrier also takes a Move and Attack order, and a Repair order (just in case), since there's no harm in being prepared.
• Commander Thomas looks at his options and decides that his best bet is to keep the Carrier fighters back and give them a mission briefing (a Special Order for his Convoy Carrier that requires they stay aboard). He starts by issuing orders to his Control Corvettes. Each gets a Special, two Move, and an Attack order (just in case the enemy comes into range). None of the three Missile Fighter Squadrons on the Convoy Carrier can have any orders this turn, since they're in mission briefings (see the Convoy Carrier's special orders ability).
• Like his opponent, he wants to charge up his Particlebow Frigate, so he simply issues a Special Order and nothing else. Finally, Commander Thomas gives full orders (Special, two Move, and Attack) to both of his Skirmish Fighter Squadrons.

Special Orders Phase

Resolve the Special Orders of every vessel that has a Special Orders action issued to it, in order by Initiative Band (and within each band, the player with Advantage first). Special Orders vary depending on the vessel in question, so follow the instructions on the stat card.

In some cases, a Special Order will act as if it were a Move or Attack order...resolve it as if it were a move or an attack, but do so during this phase. In other cases, a Special Order modifies a Move or Attack order...take note of it and apply it in the appropriate phase. In many cases, a switch (on the TOS) will be available to track this information.

Any vessel may issue a Special Order to initiate self-destruct. As the vessel's special order action, announce that it is a self-destruct order. Place a "Self Destruct" token on the ship. At any time thereafter, you may choose to cancel the self-destruct order (and remove the token). On Initiative Band 0 of the Attack phase, if the order hasn't been cancelled, change the vessel's status immediately to Destroyed. If the vessel is a ship or capital ship, replace it with an Explosion Counter.

Special Orders may always be cancelled instead of executed (just flip the switch closed and the vessel does nothing). Once all Special Orders are executed, move on to the next phase.

Special Orders Example

• Initiative Band 5: Thomas flips the "Berserker" switch down for both of his Skirmish Fighter Squadrons, and flips up (closes) the Special Order switches (as do every other vessel during this phase).
• Initiative Band 4: Sac Retis has his Missile Fighter Squadrons lined up the way he wants them, so he flips the "Afterburner" switch down for all Missile Fighter Squadrons.
• Initiative Band 3: Sac Retis flips down the "Charged" switch on his Particlebow Frigates. Thomas flips down the "Scramble" switch of each of his Control Corvettes (they're not in range to Concentrate Fire) and the "Charged" switch on his Particlebow Frigate.
• Initiative Band 1: Thomas closes the Special Order switch on his Convoy Carrier, writes Sac Retis's Cruiser ID number on the three Mission Briefing inserts placed in his Missile Fighter TOS Modchips.

Movement Phase

Resolve the Movement of every vessel that has a Movement action issued to it, in reverse order. In other words, start from the lowest initiative band and continue through to the highest (with the commander with Advantage last). Each vessel can only resolve one Movement order in the first round of moves... vessels with more than one Movement order must wait until all vessels have had a move, and then resolve the second moves in the above order once more...and then third moves if applicable.

Movement is a combination of moving and turning. A vessel can turn up to its allowed turn radius (per move), as determined by the "turn arc" (marked in white) that runs through the center of the base. Any vessel of any status can move.

Movement Procedure

1. Place a pen, pencil, scoring tool (whatever's handy) on the table at the white centerline arrow of the base.
2. Rotate the base as much as desired, up to the white "turn arc" line on either side. When turning to a new facing, rotate the model on its central axis (its stem).
3. Then align the ruler with the side of the vessel and move it forward any distance up to its VEL limit.

Free Turn: During the first Initiative Band 0, vessels that did not have a Movement order may choose to rotate in place as much as their turn arc allows. This may be done by any vessel of any status.

Squads Departing Carrier: Squadrons departing from a Convoy Carrier must exit in contact with their docking bay. They can then turn normally from that position.

Canceling Moves: Technically speaking, Move orders cannot be cancelled...but you can execute extremely small moves so as to be equivalent to cancelling the move order.

Movement Phase Example

• Initiative Band 0: Thomas' Particlebow Frigate was unable to execute a Move order this turn since it was hypercharging its particle bow, but at this point it is now allowed to make a "free turn". Sac Retis can do likewise, giving his own Particlebow Frigates a "free turn".
• Initiative Band 1: Thomas turns and moves his Convoy Carrier, closing the move switch on his TOS.
• Initiative Band 2: Sac Retis turns and moves his Hammerhead Cruiser.
• Initiative Band 3: Thomas turns and moves each of his Control Corvettes.
• Initiative Band 4: Sac Retis moves all of his Missile Fighter Squadrons forward 12", as allowed by their Afterburner special order. Note that for the same reason, he cannot turn them. Both the first Move switch AND the Afterburner switch are closed.
• Initiative Band 5: One of Thomas' Skirmish Fighter Squadrons is moved 6" out of the bay of the Convoy Carrier. The other Skirmish Fighter Squadron turns slightly, and is also moved 6".
• Second move, Initiative Band 0-2: No vessel with this INI has a second move in these fleets.
• Second move, Initiative Band 3: Thomas turns and moves each of his Control Corvettes again.
• Second move, Initiative Band 4: Sac Retis turns and moves his Missile Fighter Squadrons 6". They're allowed to turn this time, as Afterburners only apply to their first move order of the turn.
• Second move, Initiative Band 5: Thomas' Skirmish Fighter Squadrons each turn and take their 6" moves.

All vessels have now exhausted their Move orders for this turn.

Attack Phase

Resolve the Attack(s) of every vessel that has an Attack order, in initiative bands from highest to lowest. Attacks of the same initiative are considered to be simultaneous, so Advantage has no bearing, and unlike the Move Phase, there is only one round to the Attack Phase...resolve ALL Attack Orders during their appropriate initiative band.

Weapon Traits

A weapon has several traits to it, which are listed on the ship stat cards.

1. Firing arc. Weapons have either a limited firing arc (usually 90°, but not always), a 360° firing arc, or a Special arc, which indicates the weapon follows special rules for targeting.
2. Weapon's name, the weapon's RNG (Range, in inches), its DMG (Damage, in dice), and its SPC (Special, anything unusual about it).

If a weapon lists a SPC that is a multiplier (e.g. x4), then it acts as if it were that many separate attacks, and can split those attacks against multiple ships. Sometimes, this designator comes with a S (x2S), in which case the multiplier only applies against Squadron targets. If a weapon lists a SPC of +1C, it means that all dice rolled to inflict potential marks get a +1 to the roll if the target is a capital ship.

Targeting

Measure the range from the attacking vessel to the target vessel (vessel to vessel, not base to base). If the shot is in range (less than or equal to the RNG) and the target is within the "fire arc" of the attacking vessel (marked on the base in red), the attack takes place.

Note that a single Attack is the firing of one of the vessel's weapons. A separate Attack command must be issued to fire each of the vessel's weapons. Attack orders may be cancelled. Simply lower the switch and declare you are "not firing".

Outcome

Roll a die for each point of DMG the weapon is rated at. For every 4+ (modified by effects that give a bonus or penalty "to mark" enemy vessels), a "potential mark" is scored. The target vessel then rolls the same number of dice as the marks inflicted by the attacker. For every roll equal or greater than the DEF value of the target ship, one mark is prevented by the vessel's defenses.

Worked example as printed: the Particlebow's attack (DMG 4) rolls four dice and scores 2 potential marks; the target rolls 2 dice against its DEF value and prevents 1 of them, for an outcome of 1 HIT.

Shooting Through

Squadrons do not block line of fire entirely, but can disperse big weapons somewhat. For each enemy squadron that a shot passes through, the squadron absorbs the first two potential marks of the attack, using their own DEF to attempt to prevent them. Enemy ships and capital ships cannot be shot through, and block enemy fire. You can always freely shoot through your own vessels, which are presumed to get out of the way in a coordinated fashion.

Free Action: Autofire

Any vessel with an "autofire" weapon fires these weapons automatically, neither requiring nor allowed to use an action order to use them. Autofire weapons are always fired on initiative band 0 (after all other weapons). All autofire weapons on a single vessel must declare their targets before the shots are resolved. Autofire weapons are usually 360° fire arc weapons.

Attack Phase Example (Tracking Inflicted Damage)

• Initiative Band 5: Commander Thomas' Skirmish Fighter Squadrons go now. Both are in position to do some damage. One is next to V.A. Retis' Cruiser, while the other is close to a blue Missile Fighter Squadron. The Skirmish Fighter Squadron that fires on the Cruiser first checks its firing arc...the Cruiser is inside the arc of the red "fire arc" lines. Then he measures the range...part of the Cruiser is within 6" of the squadron's formation. Thomas needs a 4+ to make a potential mark. He rolls 1 die...a 4, just what he needed. The Cruiser has a 4+ DEF, though, and rolls a 6...the failed shot is ignored. The Skirmish Fighter Squadron that fires on Retis' Missile Fighter Squadron, also needs 4+, but this time he gets to roll 2 dice due to his GravBlasters (which are x2 vs. Squadrons). A 2 and a 5, enough to threaten a Mark. Missile Fighter Squadrons are lightly armored, and thus avoid marks only on a 6+. A 1 won't cut it, so Missile Fighter Squadron #3 takes 1 mark of damage. The damage slider is moved one space to the right, to the (L) armor spot, and Thomas moves the inflicted damage to the "1" spot on the "Damage Tracker Wedge".
• Initiative Band 4: Thomas' Missile Fighter Squadrons are still on board the Convoy Carrier getting orders, so they're sitting out this round. V.A. Retis gets his first shots in. Missile Fighter Squadron #1 and #2 are in range of Thomas' Convoy Carrier, Missile Fighter Squadron #3 can fire back at Orange Skirmish Fighter Squadron #1, and Missile Fighter Squadron #4 has a shot at Thomas' Particlebow Frigate. Missile Fighter Squadrons #1 and #2 have +1 to their rolls (since Missile Fighter Squadrons receive +1 to rolls to mark Capital ships). Alas, they roll a 1 and a 2. Missile Fighter Squadron #3 fires on Orange Skirmish Fighter Squadron #1, needing a 4+. Missile Fighter Squadron #3 rolls a 3 though, and misses. Missile Fighter Squadron #4 rolls a 1 against Thomas' Particlebow Frigate. A dismal round for V.A. Retis.
• Initiative Band 3: Both sides' Particlebow Frigates are still charging, so no firing happens from them this turn. Thomas' Control Corvettes both have Attack orders though, so they'll get their shots in. They are both in range of, have firing arc alignment to, and decide to fire on the blue Cruiser. Both can score a mark on a 3+ (due to Control Corvette #2's Concentrate Firepower Special Order earlier). They each roll 1 die...a 4 and a 6. Two possible marks. The Cruiser rolls its DEF (4+) and gets a 2 and a 6. The mighty Cruiser suffers a mark, moving the slider to the first (H) mark on its TOS, and Thomas's Damage Tracker Wedge now reads "2".
• Initiative Band 2: The Cruiser starts with one laser battery firing on Orange Control Corvette #1. Note that he needs to roll 5+s to overcome the Control Corvette's "Scramble" effect. 3, 5 and 6 is good for 2 possible marks, and (with a 5+ DEF), 5 and 5 is enough to resist both! The Cruiser fires its other laser battery. 1, 6, 6 for 2 possible marks. 1 and 2 fails to resist, and Orange Control Corvette #1 moves its slider to the right 2 spaces...to its last (M) armor spot, and V.A. Retis moves his inflicted damage slider to "2".

Tracking Damage

Every time you successfully deal a mark of damage, you'll need to keep track of it (damage totals are added up at the end of each turn, see the Cleanup phase). On the "Damage Tracker Wedge" simply slide the tracker to show each Mark of damage as it is inflicted upon your enemy's vessels.

Damage Levels

If a vessel is hit, it becomes less effective in combat. This is reflected by the status levels. Normally, a ship or capital ship starts out at operational status (with the Damage Marker at the leftmost box), while a squadron starts out at AOK status.

When a vessel takes damage (a mark of damage), the Damage Marker on the TOS is shifted to the right. Each space to the right signifies a reduction in either points of armor or status levels as the "Damage Level" marker moves along the track.

Data Cubes

When the status track is lowered to a different Status, the vessel's "Data Cube" on its base is rotated to reflect the new status of the vessel. This gives both players an "at a glance" overview of the condition of both fleets.

• Operational (1+): A vessel is considered operational so long as the damage marker hasn't progressed into "Power Loss" (armor marks considered Operational). A Repair order for an operational vessel is automatically successful.
• Power Loss (2+): Power loss to various systems has decreased the efficiency of the vessel. Weapon ranges are reduced to 3/4 their normal range (a 12" range becomes 9", for example). A Repair order for a vessel at Power Loss status succeeds on a 2 or more.
• Damaged (4+): Damage to a vessel's systems are severe, and the vessel has lost much of its functionality. The vessel can no longer execute Special Orders, ATK and MOV are reduced to 1 (or 0 if the vessel normally has a 0 value), VEL is reduced to 1/2 the normal value (3" instead of 6"), as are the weapon ranges. Note the purple lights at the base of some orders switches...these switches are unusable at Damaged status. A Repair order for a vessel that is Damaged succeeds on a 4 or more.
• Crippled (5+): A crippled vessel is incapable of any activity except for a Repair order. The vessel's command capacity is reduced to 1 (usually), ATK to 0, MOV to 0. It is possible that a crippled vessel can be jury rigged to be functional again. Note both the purple and red lights at the base of the special orders, attack and move switches. None of these switches are available at status crippled. A Repair order for a vessel at Crippled status will succeed on a 5 or more, which usually restores it to Damaged.

Squadrons

Squadrons work a little differently. Rather than dealing damage to individual vessels, damage for a squadron is reflected in the number of losses the squadron as a whole has taken. As such, the Squadron does not have a "Data Cube", but instead reflects its damage level by rotating the squadron itself to either "AOK", "Reduced" or "Dispersed" status.

• AOK/Operational: Full squadron compliment. All fighters operational, this side of the squadron-triangle shows the largest number of fighters.
• Reduced: This status represents a loss of fighters in the squadron, reducing the number of fighters remaining. This side of the squadron-triangle shows a loss of some fighters. A squadron at Reduced status can still execute all orders normally, but must roll a base 5+ to score a Mark with their attacks instead of a 4+ to represent the loss of massed fire. A repair order issued by a Convoy Carrier to a squadron on deck will restore a Reduced squadron to AOK, and is automatically successful.
• Dispersed (4+): This status represents the destruction or disabling of nearly all fighters in the squadron. This side of the squadron-triangle is nearly empty of fighters. A squadron at Dispersed status can still execute orders, but must roll a 6+ to score a mark. A Dispersed squadron is useless when it comes to recombining with another damaged squadron out in space. It can only be restored if the Convoy Carrier where it is on deck issues a Repair order for it, which will succeed on a 4+ and upgrade the squadron's status to Reduced.

Reform (Special Order): Two squadrons that are at Reduced status can execute a "Reform" Special Order to transfer fighters and produce a single full squadron. Move one squad into contact with the other. Restore one squadron to AOK, and reduce the other one to Dispersed.

Explosions

Finally, replace any ship or capital ship with the "Destroyed" status level with an appropriate explosion marker. This marker must be placed nearest to the center of the model base (model stem is closest to center).

Chain reactions can occur between vessels in close formation, as any vessel of sufficient size destroyed by an explosion marker immediately places an explosion marker of its own and is resolved in turn. In tight-packed formations, it may be easier to set the explosion markers on top of the vessels rather than underneath.

Looking straight down from above the explosion's epicenter, every vessel you see that is in base or model contact with the edge of the explosion marker is dealt a single explosive damage mark on a 2+ (Armor applies normally, but no modifiers apply to the roll to inflict the mark...explosions always deal a mark on a 2+). Squadrons do not cause explosions, despite there being a small explosion template...those templates have other uses (although the Bigger Explosions advanced rule makes it possible for squadrons to cause explosions).

Note that when a Convoy Carrier blows up, it doesn't automatically take the squadrons "on deck" with it. Place them anywhere within the explosion counter. Each squadron then suffers a possible mark of damage from the explosion. Assuming they survive, they're free to act normally after that.

Explosion counters that have not yet been removed can be flown through during the Movement phase, and fired through during the Attack phase. They only "count" at the end of the Attack phase.

Cleanup Phase / Vessel Repair

First, remove all explosion markers from the table (or see the "Debris Field" Advanced Rules).

Repairing Vessels

All vessels with a repair order roll a die. If your roll equals or exceeds the level of repair, upgrade the status by removing one mark of damage (move the Damage Slider to the left one space). Vessels that are still at operational status can repair one level automatically...no roll required, though a Repair order must still be issued to do so.

• Power Loss (2+): repaired on a 2 or more.
• Damaged (4+): repaired on a 4 or more.
• Crippled (5+): repaired on a 5 or more.

If a vessel is repaired past a status level into the next-higher level, rotate the data cube back to the new status level on the vessel's base.

Note that Convoy Carriers are allowed to Repair themselves while still taking other actions, and may also issue Repair orders on behalf of the squadrons on deck, and that Hammerhead Cruisers may roll two separate repair attempts off of a single Repair order.

Repair orders can be cancelled.

Repair Example (several rounds later)

The fight went on for some time, and after some heavy Particlebow Frigate fire, V.A. Retis' Cruiser is down to Crippled. He has a Repair order issued, so he first rolls one die, needing a 5+. A 6! The Cruiser's slider is moved left to "Damaged". He makes his second roll, now needing only a 4+, but gets a 2. V.A. Retis rotates his ship's Data Cube back to the "Damaged" status level. Had he made his second roll, the Cruiser would be back up to "Power Loss" status.

Meanwhile, Commander Thomas has three squadrons on deck on his Convoy Carrier, two Reduced and one Dispersed, and Repair orders to cover them all. The two Reduced squadrons are automatically restored to AOK. The Dispersed squadron needs a 4+, gets a 5, and is upgraded to Reduced status once more.

End of Turn

Total up the amount of damage inflicted by each commander during the current game turn (on their opponent or their opponent's protected items in some scenarios...self-inflicted wounds do not gain you Advantage). As discussed in the Attack Phase instructions earlier, you have already been keeping track of this using the Damage Tracker.

Advantage shifts to the commander with the highest total for this turn, or remains as-is in case of a tie.

In the ongoing example, V.A. Sac Retis dealt 6 marks (2 to Convoy Carrier #1, 4 to Skirmish Fighter Squadron #1). Thomas dealt 1 to Missile Fighter Squadron #3, and 1 to the Cruiser (from Control Corvette #2) for a total of 2. Advantage remains with V.A. Sac Retis for the next turn.

Finally, reset (lower) all remaining switches on the TOSs (with the exception of the "Charged" switch of a Particlebow Frigate), and reset the Damage trackers back to 0.

How Do I End a Game?

Add up the score for the engagement at the end of the last turn, as defined by player agreement at the start, or by the scenario.

To score a "Standard Wormhole Engagement", add up the total point value (vessel cost) of the opponent's destroyed vessels and half the point value of the opponent's Damaged or Crippled ships and Dispersed squadrons. Be sure to include the cost of any Inserts in the value of the destroyed/damaged vessels.

• Add +5 points to the commander that had Advantage at the end.
• Add +5 points if either half of the board is free of enemy vessels. The centerline is determined by measuring the distance to the center of the board relative to the initial staging area.

The commander with the highest score wins the engagement. Other scenarios have different rules for scoring.

Advanced Rules

Abandon Ship

As mentioned before, you can choose to have your Fleet Admiral on board one of your vessels, or running the battle over communications from a safe distance away. If your Fleet Admiral is on board one of your vessels, and you'd like to move him elsewhere, you can do so by placing the Shuttle/Escape Pod token in the shuttle dock of the base of the vessel he is currently in.

Likewise, if you have a Skilled Commander or Experienced Engineers on board a vessel, and wish to relocate them, these, too, can be moved via shuttle. A shuttle is only large enough to accommodate one type of insert (Commander, Engineers, Fleet Admiral, etc.).

That shuttle can now receive orders as an additional vessel of the fleet. Treat the shuttle as having a VEL of 6, INI of 4, ATK of 0 and DEF of 4+. If, as part of a move action, it comes into stand-to-stand contact with another larger ship, you can then place the shuttle in that vessel's shuttle dock. The shuttle does not count against your total number of vessels for Orders Loss, and does not have to be issued orders to get it to move...it does so automatically. It is considered to be "squadron-sized", and has a full 360 degree movement arc.

Any vessel that hosts the Fleet Admiral and is Destroyed leaves an Escape Pod token behind (after the explosion counter is removed). Escape Pods are like shuttles, but have a VEL of 4. Only Fleet Admirals (Legendary or otherwise) automatically appear in escape pods.

Both Shuttlecraft and Escape Pods are quite frail. A single mark of damage will destroy one if it gets past its heavy armor.

• Fleet Admirals can not join squadrons.

Wormholes

A wormhole is a spacetime curvature which connects two or more distant locations. In game terms, Wormholes are used for both instantaneous travel and as waypoints to be assaulted or defended.

Anatomy of a Wormhole

1. Wormhole event horizon: These discs come in multiple colors which can be "hot-swapped" to create unique matched combinations (Blue Wormholes only connect to other blue Wormholes. Red connect to red...etc.).
2. Symbol window: This window reveals dice symbol combinations from the disc behind the gate. The disc can be rotated, changing travel sequences or gate combinations.
3. Damage Status: Wormholes can be considered to be indestructible, or can be vulnerable to damage. If you wish to play with damageable wormholes, use the damage marks on the base. Consider a Wormhole as having Medium armor (marks are saved on a 5+).

Wormhole damage status

• Stable: Place a die above the first status level to represent the marks the Wormhole has suffered...at Stable, the Wormhole acts normally. When that die reaches a six, move the die to the next-lower status (at 1), and continue adding marks from there.
• Unstable: The Wormhole is now "Unstable" and will only pass vessels through if they roll a 3+. Vessels that don't roll high enough remain where they are, touching the Wormhole counter, and may try to enter next turn. When the Wormhole's die adds up to six again, move it to the next status (at 1 again).
• Dangerous: The Wormhole is now Dangerous, and only passes vessels on a 5+.

Once the die adds up to six one last time, the Wormhole explodes, and is replaced with a large explosion template.

Moving Through Wormholes

Any vessel that executes a Move order to enter into a Wormhole (have its base contact the Wormhole's base) is instantly moved to the other Wormhole with matching symbols. If both ends of the Wormhole are on the same board, the moved vessel is placed in base-to-base contact with the other Wormhole, facing away from it in any direction the vessel's controller chooses. This automatically ends the move order of the vessel moving through, regardless of whether or not it has more movement left (in that particular move order).

Wormhole Dynamics

• Basic Wormhole Linking: In their most basic form, Wormholes with matching numbers and colors are interconnected.
• Complex Wormhole Linking: By matching color groups and a chain of numbers you can create complex travel patterns across the board. These permit travel sequentially forward and backward through the chain to different waypoints.
• Wormhole Hacking: At the cost of a special order, any vessel within base contact of a Wormhole may attempt to hack a wormhole combination. A 3+ roll on a single D-6 grants the hacking vessel the opportunity to rotate the Wormhole disc one space to the left or right. In some cases this action creates matching gates offering multiple exit options. In other cases this affords an aggressor the opportunity to break a sequence, effectively closing the gate and potentially limiting movement.
• Wormhole Tuning / Capture: On a special order and a successful 6+ roll of a D-6, a vessel in contact with a Wormhole base has the option to "tune" the Wormhole disc to an alternate color of his/her choosing. This tuned gate then adopts the highest number in its color group's sequence (ex: pre-existing blue gates #1, #2 & #3 link to the new gate which then becomes #4). Or if six gates already exist in a group the newly created gate adopts the #6 combination, allowing for multiple exit options from all #6 Wormholes.

Ramming

When one of your vessels moves "into contact" with an enemy's vessel, it's a ramming attack. Ramming attacks work as follows:

1. You need to have enough VEL to reach the enemy vessel. Move your vessel to within 1" of the enemy vessel, and declare a ramming attack.
2. The enemy vessel receives a "bonus" round of Autofire, out of normal order. If your vessel is destroyed, stop here (placing an explosion marker as appropriate).
3. Calculate the potential marks of damage from each vessel, based on its size: Squadron (2 potential marks), Ship (4 potential marks), Capital Ship (6 potential marks), Supership (8 potential marks).

Potential Impact Damage by vessel

Size	Vessel	Potential marks
Capital Ship	Convoy Carrier	6
Capital Ship	Hammerhead Battlecruiser	6
Ship	Control Corvette	4
Ship	Particlebow Frigate	4
Squadron	Skirmish Fighters	2
Squadron	Missile Fighters	2

Then, for each vessel: if the other vessel is 1 size larger, -1 potential mark; 2 sizes larger, -2 potential marks; 3 sizes larger, -4 potential marks.

Both vessels then roll to resist these marks (roll the same number of dice, trying to get their DEF value or higher).

4. If your vessel survives, place it 1" away from the enemy vessel on the opposite side.
5. If either vessel is destroyed, replace it with an explosion marker (as appropriate).

Worked example as printed (ramming): a Convoy Carrier with 6 potential marks of impact damage to the Particlebow; the Particlebow has 4 potential marks, less 1 mark for its size penalty, and the players roll against their own DEF values, resulting in 2 damage to the Carrier and 3 damage to the Particlebow.

Passing Through

Vessels on the same side do not interfere with each others' movement. You can move "through" an allied vessel without risking any sort of collision, presuming that the vessels are moving over/under each other. The only stipulation is that the bases must not overlap by the end of the move. Convoy Carriers, naturally, are an exception to this rule, as the fighter squadrons they service are frequently docking and taking off.

Bigger Explosions and Debris Fields

Bigger Explosions

As the rules currently stand, a vessel blowing up is very likely to deal some damage to neighboring ships, but is unlikely to blow anybody else up. As an optional rule, the following circumstances can make for "bigger" explosions:

• A fully charged Particlebow Frigate that blows up leaves a ship-sized template that deals 2 potential marks of explosive damage rather than 1.
• For each squadron "on deck" when a Convoy Carrier blows up, roll a die. On a 4+, place that squadron anywhere within the explosion counter as normal. On a 1-3, remove the squadron (destroyed) and add one more die to the damage inflicted by the Convoy Carrier's explosion. Do not count the destroyed squadron for marks of damage inflicted in the turn.
• A Hammerhead Cruiser that blows up deals 1 extra mark of damage for every Missile Salvo insert still on board.
• If a squadron of fighters is reduced from full status (Operational or the one armor mark) all the way to destroyed in a single attack phase, it explodes with a squadron-sized explosion template.

Debris Fields

Instead of removing Explosion Counters, flip them over. They now represent fields of debris...leftover chunks of exploded ships, and still pose a hazard.

Any vessel (other than squadrons) that enters a Debris Field (or starts their movement in a Debris Field) moving at over half of their VEL suffers a mark of damage on a 4+.

Any weapon fired through a Debris Field has a -1 to the roll to mark targets.

Orders Loss

Orders get lost, garbled, or misinterpreted in the middle of battle. To represent this, a certain quantity of "Orders Loss" takes place each turn. Roll according to the following chart:

Orders Loss Table (non-command vessels in play, above Crippled)

Vessels in play	Dice rolled	Subtract total from Command Capacity
1-3	none	no loss
4-6	1d6	total rolled
7-9	2d6	total rolled
10-12	3d6	total rolled
13-15	4d6	total rolled
16+	5d6	total rolled

Subtract the total number rolled on the dice from your Command Capacity (the total number of possible orders you could issue in a turn). That is the maximum number of orders you may issue.

Vessels with the "Command" trait (Control Corvettes, Hammerhead Cruisers, and vessels with Skilled Commanders or Fleet Admirals on board) are not counted into your "vessels in play" total, reducing the potential orders loss you could suffer as a result.

Also note that an "Admiral's Order" or Ace Pilot's bonus orders do not count into Command Capacity, and are assigned separately.

Calculate Command Capacity

• The Hammerhead Cruiser's capacity is 4, the Particlebow Frigate 3, and the Missile Fighter Squadron 4. The total CC is 4 + (3x2) + (4x4) = 26 for Sac Retis' initial fleet.
• The Convoy Carrier has a capacity of 8, the Control Corvettes 4 each, the Particlebow Frigate 3, and all Fighter Squadrons 4. The total CC is 8 + (4x2) + 3 + (4x3) + (4x2) = 39!

Loss of Orders

• On the Loss of Orders chart, V.A. Retis has a total of 6 vessels (the Hammerhead doesn't count due to being a Command vessel), which means a roll of 1d6 is indicated. One die is rolled, and a 5 results. 5 is subtracted from the total Command Capacity (26) for a final number of allowed orders of 21.
• Commander Thomas, however, is looking at his fleet of 9 vessels (the Control Corvette doesn't count), and the resulting spot on the chart shows 2d6. His roll is a 12 (on 2 dice). 39-12 = 27 allowed orders.

Scenarios

Each scenario below lists its player count, type and fleet size as printed on its scenario page. Starter fleet lists are transcribed as printed.

Standard Engagement

Players: 2. Type: Engagement. Fleet size: 150 points per side.

At various stages of this rule book we've referred to a "Standard Wormhole Engagement". This refers to the default gaming scenario which will provide you with a basic starting point to build your engagement.

Building your game: Following this standard engagement description, we will provide you with example fleet builds to accompany various scenarios. These scenarios and fleet builds will guide you through the initial "hands on" building required to amass two full fleets (fleets exceeding 200 points each) including various game aids. The logistics of the initial game construction might seem daunting but if you follow our examples, your experience with Wormhole will be much more satisfying.

Setup: This scenario uses a standard 30" x 40" Wormhole playing area. Each commander has a typical deployment zone (the first 8" of a short side of the map).

Each commander puts together a 150 point force.

At the start of the game, determine advantage by giving it to the commander who has a Legendary Commander, or who spent the least on force (if neither or both commanders have a Legendary Commander), or by a die roll if the force sizes are equal as well. In a Royalist vs. Separatist battle, tied die rolls go to the Royalists, otherwise reroll.

Each commander places their forces in their own deployment zone by initiative band, with the player with Advantage going last.

The game is played for 6 turns, and then the score is calculated.

Scoring: Standard rules. Receive the point value (including inserts) of every enemy vessel that is destroyed, and half points for every enemy vessel (including inserts) that is damaged, crippled, or dispersed. 5 extra points are awarded for holding the Advantage at the end of the game, and 5 points for each half of the board that has only your own vessels in it.

Both the initial force size and the number of turns can be varied.

Training Mission

Players: 1. Type: Target Practice / Race. Fleet size: 75.

Gameplay: At the start of the game, place each of your vessels in base-to-base contact with the wormhole gate. Proceed through each part of each game turn normally, except of course that you have no opponent.

The asteroids are your targets, and are considered squadron-sized. Each one requires 3 marks of damage to destroy, and resist marks on a 5+ (as if they had Medium Armor). Upon destruction, they do not explode, but they do turn into a debris field of squadron size.

Your mission is to destroy the four target asteroids and then depart through the wormhole. The scenario is over when your fleet has departed the board by returning to the wormhole from which they came.

Scoring: Attempt to clear the board in as few of turns as possible. Try different fleet configurations to see which can do the job the fastest.

Variant: Instead of using asteroids, use four vessels of the opposing faction. Aim them towards the Wormhole at the start of the turn and issue them all their full allotment of Attack orders (only), to be taken against the nearest target that is within its firing arc. Try to complete your mission without losing any vessels.

Building your game: Not sure what to build first? By following each scenario example in sequence, we will slowly accumulate all the parts required for a full player vs player experience. (Green keylines represent newly added vessels.)

• Example fleet: One Missile Fighter receives Ace Pilot Data Insert. One Particlebow Frigate receives a "free" Skilled Commander Data Insert.
• General construction: 1 Wormhole, 1 Command Tray, 2 Particlebow TOS, 2 Missile Fighters TOS, Data Inserts: Ace Pilot and Skilled Commander, 4 status cubes, Statcards, 1 of ruler, 1 booms, 1 vessel numbers.
• Staging / setup: This scenario uses a standard 30" x 40" Wormhole playing area. Place a Wormhole gate in the exact center, and a floating asteroid (a die or a single rock from Uncharted Space) 3" in from each corner.

Supply Run

Players: 2. Type: Gauntlet / Race. Fleet size: 80 (Blue) / 80+ (Orange).

Gameplay / Staging: The Attacker and Defender for this scenario each receive equal points, but the Defender also receives a special Convoy Carrier. This Carrier represents the supply ship. Squadrons cannot dock with it, and it has no control switches for Special Orders, nor Attack orders...it can only Move and Repair (itself), and fight back with its Autofire weaponry. The supply ship will not make ramming attacks.

The Attacker can set up anywhere on the gameboard, and begins the game with Advantage. The Defender chooses which Wormhole to appear through to start the game, and brings his forces in through that Wormhole. His forces may be divided up any way desired, and may be deployed at the start of turns 1, 2, or 3 (or in any combination thereof), appearing through the Wormhole at the beginning of the turn.

Scoring: Defender automatically wins the scenario if the Supply Ship enters the opposite Wormhole. Attacker wins if he can eliminate all of Player B's combat forces and reduce the Supply Ship to Damaged or Crippled status. If the Supply Ship is destroyed, the scenario is a draw.

Variant: Keep the force sizes low (80 points or less) and disallow capital ships on either side (with the exception of the Supply Ship).

Variant: A full convoy of Supply Ships can be used instead of one, with each new supply ship emerging from the starting wormhole at the start of each new turn. Victory can then be based on the number of ships that escape through the other wormhole and/or are disabled and presumed captured. The distance between wormholes can likewise be varied.

Building your game: The second player needs his own command tray now, and supply of statcards, along with orange status cubes and his own ruler. We need the bigger booms now as well. We've reused everything already built for the blue force. We haven't added "Fighter Trays" into the mix yet as the Command Tray will comfortably house fighter TOS for the time being. (Green keylines represent newly added vessels.)

• Blue Fleet: 1 Missile Fighters TOS, 1 Data Insert: Skilled Commander for Particlebow Frigate. Additional Wormhole.
• Orange Fleet: 1 Command Tray, 1 Ruler, 1 Carrier TOS, 3 Missile Fighters TOS, 2 Skirmish Fighters TOS, 1 Control Corvette TOS, 1 Data Insert: Ace Pilot for Skirmish Fighter.
• Setup: Use a standard gameboard, with two Wormhole gates placed 40" apart.

Reinforcements

Players: 2. Type: Engagement. Fleet size: 100 +50 (Blue, Defender, with reinforcements) / 120 (Orange, Attacker).

Gameplay / Staging: One commander is chosen to be the Attacker, the other the Defender. The Attacker begins the game with Advantage and has 20% more points to build his force with. The Defender also constructs a Reinforcement force equal to 50% of his total points. This scenario, by default, uses the Advanced Rule of "Wormholes Can Be Damaged." Place a Wormhole in the Defender's staging area.

Initially, as a Standard Wormhole Engagement. At the start of turn 4, the Defender places his reinforcement force on the board, in base contact with the Wormhole token.

Scoring: As a Standard Wormhole Engagement.

Variant: The Defender doesn't need to decide what his Reinforcement force will be until after the game starts (calls for specific reinforcements). If he chooses this option, the Reinforcements are only 40% of his initial point allotment.

Variant (Dual Reinforcements): Both initial forces are equal, there is no "Attacker" or "Defender" as with a Standard Wormhole Engagement, both sides have Wormholes in their deployment zone, and design Reinforcement forces at 50% (or 40%, for specific reinforcements) of their initial point totals.

Building your game: A fighter specific Command Tray is still generally unnecessary at this point. Each player has their basic supplies, so we'll be adding a couple vessels here and there to fill out the fleets. (Green keylines represent newly added vessels.)

• Blue Fleet: 1 Convoy Carrier TOS, 2 Particlebow Frigate TOS, 1 Data Insert "Skilled Commander" for Convoy Carrier.
• Orange Fleet: 1 Skirmish Fighter TOS, 1 Data insert "Ace Pilot" for Skirmish Fighter.
• Data Inserts: (Orders, at least 8).
• Setup: This scenario uses a standard 30" x 40" Wormhole playing area.

Gauntlet

Players: 2. Type: Engagement / Endurance. Fleet size: 40, 80, 120 (Blue) / 160 (Orange).

Gauntlet is a multi-battle/multi-board campaign. This scenario is designed to test both players in managing the complexities and abilities of their respective fleets. As each battle progresses new regions of space and new challenges are revealed.

Building your game: At this point you might want to consider constructing a Fighter Command Tray for each player. More booms might also come in handy. (Green keylines represent newly added vessels.)

• Blue Fleet: 4 Skirmish Fighter TOS, 2 Control Corvette TOS.
• Orange Fleet: 1 Hammerhead TOS, 2 missile salvos Data Inserts, 2 orange missile tokens.
• General: Data Inserts: "Mission Briefing", at least 8.

Gauntlet Part I: The Assault Begins

Gameplay / Staging: The Defender starts this scenario with a force 25% of the size of the Attacker (shown as 40 points in the example). The Defender may not issue orders during the first turn, as his forces scramble to get to stations and defend against the incoming assault. The Attacker has Advantage for the entire battle.

Scenario 1 ends when the Defender's forces are eliminated, at which point the Attacker's forces are presumed to enter the wormhole heading for the next region of space (our second scenario).

Setup: Uses three standard gameboards, though only one at a time. Also uses two Wormhole tokens. You will need to decide on a force size for the Attacker, and the Attacker uses the same force (or what's left of it) throughout the three-game scenario.

The first board is set up as normal for a Standard Wormhole Engagement, including a wormhole in the Defender's deployment zone.

Gauntlet Part 2: Stronger Resistance

The Attacker starts with Advantage in this battle, but does not keep it automatically.

This scenario ends either when the Defender's forces are completely eliminated or else all of the Attacker's forces have been either destroyed, or have entered the Wormhole. If the battle ends with surviving vessels on the board for the Defender, take note of them. The Defender starts this battle with a force 50% of the size of the Attacker.

Note that the Attacker still has all damage, inserts used up, and other resources expended from the end of the last scenario. The Attacker is allowed one extra "repair" phase for each of his vessels (and squadrons, if they're in a Convoy Carrier) that is assumed to take place during Wormhole transit.

Setup: Set up the board as before, only with a wormhole in each deployment zone. The Attacker sets up his forces within 6" of the wormhole in his deployment zone.

Gauntlet Part 3: The Final Assault

The Defender starts with Advantage in this scenario, having had time to prepare for the coming assault. After the first turn, determine Advantage normally.

The Defender starts this battle with a force 75% of the size of the Attacker. The Attacker sets up his forces within 6" of the wormhole in his deployment zone, while the Defender can set up his forces anywhere on his half of the board.

Note that the Attacker still has all damage, inserts used up, and other resources expended from the end of the last scenario. The Attacker is allowed one extra "repair" phase for each of his ships (and squadrons, if they're in an escort carrier). The same applies to the Defender.

The final battle ends after 8 turns.

Scoring: Score all three scenarios together, but award points for damaged/crippled/dispersed ships only for the end of the third scenario. The Defender scores triple points for Attacker vessels destroyed in part 1, and double points for Attacker vessels destroyed in part 2.

Setup: Set up the board as before, only with a wormhole in the Attacker's deployment zone. If the Defender has forces left over from Scenario 2, place them within 6" of the Attacker's wormhole at the start of turn 4 as they follow the Attacker's vessels into the last battle.

Sector Command

Players: 2. Type: Engagement. Fleet size: 200 / 200.

Gameplay / Staging: For this scenario, a minimum of four Space Mats are needed. If resources are limited, these can be black bedsheets or the living room rug (and masking tape borders). 40" X 60" sectors are ideal but 40" X 30" will suffice.

Each "home" Space Mat starts out with a non-blue wormhole in one deployment zone. Blue wormholes are placed throughout, with the numbers determining which wormholes match up with which on the other boards (sectors). It is recommended that you do not use the "Wormholes can be damaged" rule for this variant, or restrict it to just the opposing fleet's designated wormhole as a game objective. Likewise, the use of Wormhole hacking and capture is discouraged (except for advanced players).

Each commander may set up their forces anywhere on their home Space Mat initially.

A standard Sector Command scenario is much longer than typical, requiring at least 10 turns.

Scoring: As a Standard Wormhole Engagement.

Variant: This scenario combines well with the Reinforcements scenario, particularly the dual reinforcements variant. For particularly massive games, you can even schedule multiple reinforcement force arrivals at multiple points during the game (turn 4, turn 7, etc.).

• Blue Fleet: 1 Hammerhead Cruiser TOS, Hammerhead Cruiser Railgun, 2 missile salvos Data Inserts, 2 blue missile tokens.
• Orange Fleet: 1 Control Corvette TOS, 2 missile salvos Data Inserts, 2 orange missile tokens.
• General: 10 more wormholes.

Endurance Trial

Players: 2. Type: Engagement / Endurance. Fleet size: 100, 100 (Attacker, plus 100 arriving each turn after the first) / 200 (Defender).

Gameplay / Staging: The Attacker starts off with a 100 point force, placed in the deployment zone with the Wormhole.

The Defender starts off with a 200 point force, placed anywhere in the other half of the gameboard, and begins the game with Advantage.

The Attacker receives an additional 100 point force, arriving through the Wormhole, at the start of each turn after the first.

Play continues until the Defender's entire force is annihilated. "Victory" is based on how many turns the Defender can remain alive:

• 3 - Weak performance. Your planet is slaughtered mercilessly.
• 4-5 Adequate performance. Most of the evacuees get out before the invaders arrive.
• 6-7 Solid performance. Evacuees manage to escape, valuable goods taken or destroyed.
• 8+ Legendary performance. This will be considered one of the turning points of the war. Parents will name their children after you.

Variant (solo game for the Defender): This scenario can be played as a solo game for the Defender, using the following assumptions:

1. The "autopilot" Attacker doesn't suffer Orders Loss, but also doesn't issue Special Orders. All vessels in the Attacker's fleet have their full compliment of Move and Attack orders, or Repair orders if crippled.
2. Attacker's vessels always move towards, and target, the nearest vessels available. They always get as close as their move will allow, and use every weapon available to them (including Autofire).
3. Attacker's forces follow this rotation:
   • Turn 1: 10 Missile Fighter Squadrons
   • Turn 2: Four Particlebow Frigates
   • Turn 3: A Hammerhead Cruiser and four Skirmish Fighter Squadrons
   • Turn 4: Repeat from Turn 1.
4. Add +2 turns to the "victory" chart to represent an opponent sorely lacking in cunning or tactics.

Building your game: We've omitted a recommended fleet build for this scenario, since it's open-ended on the part of one of the two forces. At this point, both sides have built nearly every vessel, and can field sizeable (200+) forces. Design your own fleet, experiment and have fun!

Glossary

Advantage: A combination of the skill of one's Fleet Admiral and the ever-changing tides of battle, Advantage represents which Fleet Admiral has the upper hand. The player with Advantage has several benefits...deploying and moving vessels last, while executing special orders first.

At the end of each game turn, total up the number of damage Marks inflicted by each side. The player who dealt the most Marks gains the Advantage. In the case of ties, Advantage does not change.

Attack Phase: The fourth phase of the game turn, when both Fleet Admirals execute any attack orders their vessels have issued to them.

Capital Ship: One type of vessel, a capital ship is a massive unit in the game, taking up a lot of space (and usually costing a lot of points).

Classes: Vessels come in three classes... Squadrons (e.g. Missile Fighters and Skirmish Fighters), Ships (e.g. Command Corvettes and Particlebow Frigates) and Capital Ships (e.g. Convoy Carriers and Hammerhead Cruisers). A fourth class, the Supership, is not represented amongst the current Sathrican fleets, although if you have the Uncharted Space: The Sathrican Homeworld supplement, Asteroid Clusters are treated as Supership-sized objects.

Cleanup Phase: The fifth and final phase of the game turn, when repairs are rolled for vessels with repair orders, explosion markers are cleared from the board, Advantage determined for the next turn, and TOS/Damage Tracker displays are reset.

Command Tray: A 3D model designed to hold multiple TOS (see below) in an organized fashion, includes various helpful hints and reminders.

Damage Tracker / Wedge: A 3D display attached to the back of a Command Tray, used to keep track of the amount of damage you've inflicted on your opponent so far this turn.

Damage: Harm dealt to a vessel. It is represented in Marks (see below).

Dice: Six-sided dice, common to many different games and the type of dice you're most likely to have a few laying around the house (or access to a host of them if desired). Also singular "die".

Explosive Damage: Exploding ships and the Hammerhead Cruiser's missiles inflict a different type of damage called Explosive Damage. Explosive Damage deals a Mark on a 2+, rather than the typical 4+, and this 2+ value does not change. Some vessels have bonuses to deal marks of damage, or impose penalties to regular rolls to cause marks...explosive damage always marks on a 2+.

Initiative: Marked as "INI" on the ship cards, Initiative is the speed and reaction time of a given ship or squadron.

Initiative Bands: Most phases of the game proceed through the various vessel's initiatives in order from highest to lowest. All of the vessels, on both sides, that share the same INI value belong in the same "Initiative Band", so when a phase refers to "Initiative Band 3", it is talking about every vessel with INI 3 in both Fleet Admiral's fleets.

Insert (Data Insert): An optional purchase that improves the capabilities of a vessel, or of the fleet as a whole. So-called because they are "inserted" into the side of the TOS via the Modchip Interface. Also used in some special cases (such as the Mission Briefing inserts from the Convoy Carrier).

Mark (of damage): A way of measuring damage suffered by vessels in the game. Each mark of damage moves the damage track on the TOS to the right one spot, eventually causing loss of functionality and even destruction. Marks of damage result when a vessel's armor fails to protect it from Potential Marks of damage (see below). A vessel rolls a number of dice equal to the potential marks, trying to get a number based on its armor value (4+ for Heavy, 5+ for Medium, or 6+ for Light), and only those dice that fail this roll turn into actual Marks of damage.

Note: the glossary's armor thresholds (4+ Heavy, 5+ Medium, 6+ Light) are printed as shown. The rules text (Attack Phase, Ramming) resolves marks against the target's printed DEF value instead; both are transcribed as printed.

Movement Phase: The third phase of the game turn, when both Fleet Admirals execute any movement orders their vessels have issued to them.

Orders Phase: The first phase of the game turn, when both Fleet Admirals issue their orders to their fleets.

Potential Mark (of damage): This represents possible damage that may have been inflicted on a vessel. Normally, when one vessel tries to damage another one, a potential mark is inflicted by rolling a 4 or higher (4+) on a die, however some vessels have bonuses against a certain type of vessel, or can impose bonuses or penalties on other vessels, that will modify this roll. Potential Marks are then rolled against the target's armor value (see Marks, above).

Ship: One type of vessel, a ship is a medium-sized unit in the game.

Special Order Phase: The second phase of the game turn, when both Fleet Admirals execute any special orders their vessels have issued to them.

Squadron: One type of vessel, a squadron represents a group of several small fighter craft, and has some special rules. Squadrons aren't damaged like other vessels...their status levels represent the loss of some of the fighters in the squadron.

Status Levels: If a vessel is damaged, it becomes less effective in combat. This is reflected by the status levels. Normally, a ship or capital ship starts out at operational status (with the Damage Marker at the leftmost box), while a squadron starts out at AOK status.

When a vessel takes damage, the Damage Marker is shifted spaces to the right. Each space to the right represents a mark of damage.

When the status track is lowered to a different Status, the vessel's "Data Cube" on its base is rotated to reflect the new status of the vessel, and the vessel suffers the effects listed below.

Supership: One type of vessel, a supership represents incredibly massive vessels and other large objects (such as the Asteroid Cluster from Uncharted Space). There are no supership-class vessels included in this set (but they are planned for future expansions).

TOS (heading not legible in scan): Tactical Orders and Status System. A 3D model that can be built to track the damage, status levels and orders of a vessel.

Vessel: Any type of unit in Wormhole. The four classes of vessels in order of size from smallest to largest are Squadrons, Ships, Capital Ships and Superships. The term vessel refers to any of these types of in-game unit.