Torpedoes

to maneuver out of the
way, but he knew that it
was far too late for such
a desperate move to
succeed.
At the last moment,
Basaam triggered his
emergency ejection
system, just as the
Blizzard crashed into
the top left portion of
the gunboat’s rear
section. The life pod
jetted away from the
ramming fighter, the
impact from the crash
sending it spinning off
crazily.
It was nearly a full
minute before Basaam
could use the life pod’s
tiny maneuvering
thrusters to stabilize
itself. By the time he
did, the battle was
nearly over.
Hulks of wrecked
ships twisted eerily
72
Torpedoes
Torpedoes are an important part of the
game, but there are many different opinions
as to how they should be represented
in play. Here are a number of different options
that will add some variety to your
games.
Maneuverable Torps
This rule assumes that torpedoes are extremely
maneuverable. Instead of the normal
3 points, they now pay 0 points for all
turns. This means that a torp simply moves
straight toward its target, entirely ignoring
its own facing. Now players can quickly
gauge the threat zone of any torp currently
tracking a target.
Variable Speed Torps
This option differentiates between the
speeds of different torps. Smaller torps
carry lighter payloads and, accordingly, can
move faster. Consult the following table for
the speed of each type of torp.
Variable Speed Torpedo Table
Torpedo Drive
Mk. 10 18
Mk. 20 16
Mk. 30 14
Mk. 40 12
Mk. 50 10
Sequential Torpedo
Attack Resolution
If a vessel is struck by several torps at
one time, the damage is normally resolved
as one combined attack. With this option,
the damage from each torp is applied separately.
Damage Reduction has a greater effect,
as the armor can reduce the effect of
each blast instead of being totally overwhelmed.
Start with the least powerful torpedo
and working your way up.
Example: During the Torp Results
Phase, Wendy’s poor Night Hawk is
pounded by the detonations of a Mk.
40, a Mk. 20 and two Mk. 10 torps. The
first Mk. 10 does 4 points of damage,
which is negated by the Night Hawk’s
armor. The second Mk. 10 rolls an 8.
After Damage Reduction, Wendy’s
ship takes 4 hits, and its armor is reduced
to 3. The Mk. 20 does 14 points,
and the Night Hawk takes (14–3=) 11.
The Night Hawk is down to 1 point of
armor. The Mk. 40 does 21 hits! Subtracting
1 for the last of the armor, 20
hits reduce the Night Hawk to a harmless,
clunking hulk with just three
movement points. Wendy is not having
a good day.
More Torpedo Types
The Integrated Torpedo Table on page
164 shows a consolidated listing of a number
of new torps available. The “Standard”
entry for each torp size gives the stats for
the regular torps. Torp loads within a Mk.
category can be exchanged freely without
altering a vessel’s Base Point Value.
Players should specify before a scenario
begins exactly which torp loads are being
carried by their vessels. Record these torpedoes
on a separate piece of paper, and be
sure to keep the Integrated Torpedo Table
handy during play for reference.
Tracking Cones
For torps which require an assigned target
at the moment of discharge (like standard
torps do), that target must be within
the torp’s tracking cone. A torp’s target
must be within its tracking cone at the beginning
of every Movement Phase after it
is activated, otherwise the torp is (usually)