A look at the core mechanics

 

The core elements of the game in play. Ordinary playing cards are used for the game's mechanics and tokens employed to record damage. Debris and hazards are represented with suitable markers. 

Space Battles: A Spacefarers Guide is a set of rules for playing space battles using model spaceships, written by me, published by Wombat Wargames and  available from Amazon. The book includes the basic rules of play, advanced rules for expanding the game further, ships stats for spacecraft, scenarios, a set of campaign rules for playing sequential games, and special abilities which can be incorporated into campaigns or used independently. There is also a background section describing the author's 'known space' game setting, for which a range of spaceships is available from Ral Partha Europe (R.P.E.). The game can, however, be played with any models, and within any setting. 

The core mechanics of the game are driven by ordinary playing cards, two packs are required, one pack for each side. No dice are needed to play the game. Movement and range determination is calculated using a gridded mat thirteen by thirteen spaces - although the game can also be played using a larger area if players so wish.

The game is played in alternating turns, each player taking a turn with each of their ships one after the other. Ships may activate automatically, by the turn of a card, or not at all, depending upon their damage status. Damage is inflicted to four separate ship functions: propulsion, armaments, shields and systems corresponding to the four card suits. Attacks are made by drawing cards and assembling an attacking hand, whilst any hits scored can be deflected with cards drawn from a shield hand. Any damage suffered is recorded using a token marked with the relevant suit. 

Game play is pacey and the core mechanics easy to learn, with much of the subtlety of the game coming from the puzzle-like nature of the scenarios and the relationship between the different ship types. Aside from placing tokens to indicate damage suffered, there is no need to record the status of the ships. In most cases, ships are destroyed once they take three damage markers to any individual ship function. In the case of the largest 'massive' ships - battleships for instance - the first marker to each function is always ignored, which means they can sustain a certain amount of damage without any ill effects, and it takes four damage to a function to destroy them. Conversely, 'light' spacecraft - interceptors for example - are destroyed if they suffer two damage markers to any function. 

Ships from my collection. These are old Citadel models that I designed in the early 1980s. I like to give models a sturdy base, but this is not necessary to play the game, any bases can be used or none. I also like to arrange the inteceptor types into a flight of three, because it looks good, but this is entirely optional and makes no difference in play. 

Aside from the smallest ships, which may be smashed to atoms without endangering other craft, any destroyed spacecraft are reduced to debris, which is represented by a debris marker. Designs for debris markers, damage tokens, and hazards are included in the book and can be copied. A downloadable version will also be available on the Wombat Wargames website, for which see the link on the side bar. For debris, the author favours the pin markers sold by Warlord Games for the Bolt Action and Beyond the Gates of Antares games - the red 'explosion' markers in the photgraph at the top of this post. Debris drifts over the gaming area and can inflict damage on ships that encounter it. 

The scenarios all have specific objectives, which determine how long the games last and how each side can achieve victory. Of these, the 'fleet action' scenario is a general engagement, which is fought until one side is reduced to half strength. Further scenarios are in preparation, and will be included in the Shadows of Centralis magazine from Wombat Wargames, alongside further articles about the game, the setting, new ship types and whatever news and new material we can squeeze in.