This is an advanced conquest ruleset for those who like crunching numbers more. It can be used for structured campaigns as well. Each turn (if a time is required) is about 1 month. It is a lot more complicated and requires heavy number crunching than the Economic Campaign, so won't be suitable for all players.
Each player starts with 16 worlds which produce 20,000 MCr total military budget as below:
| World Type | MCr/turn | FT points |
| Homeworld (1) | 5000 | 500 |
| Core world (3) | 2000 | 200 |
| Colony (6) | 1000 | 100 |
| Outpost (6) | 500 | 50 |
Total Production: 20,000 MCr (2000 ft points)
The worlds must be allocated within a 4*6 hex grid as shown below.
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When setting up 2-3 player games, simply butt their territories random edge against random edge & commence the game. For 4+ players, an additional territory is required, either blank or with multiple neutral worlds to conquer. The players have their territories randomly placed around the neutral territory & then commence play.
Neutral worlds are claimed by the first fleet to land marines (any number).
Each player has a starting fleet of 5000 points with which to defend their territory.
Out of these points, they need to purchase the following:
Shipyards: Cost is equal to the mass of construction allowed (ie: 50pt = 50 mass/turn construction). These have hits equal to it's mass with no defences at all.
Starbases: Cost is as per shipbuilding, with 5% mass for basic base systems (thrusters etc).
WarShips: Costs as per FTFB shipbuilding. Only FTFB ships can be purchased initially.
Freighters: Costs as per FTFB. Initial ship designs from FTFB only.
Turn sequence:
1. Pay upkeep/scrap ships/bases/shipyards.
Each ship/base has a maintainance cost of 10% which must be paid. If it's not paid, then the ship is scrapped to give 25% of it's new cost if in a friendly system. Heavily damaged ships could prove more cost effective to scrap if there aren't any facilities available for repairs.
Shipyards require upkeep equal to it's mass.
2. Move ships
WarShips move up to 2 hexes, Freighters move up to 1 hex. Enemy fleets are visible up to 2 hexes away (within move range). This takes into account scout ships/drones etc keeping an eye around.
3. Scanning & Resolve combat
Ships in the same hex are told what contacts are in scan range in escorts, cruisers, capitals. The fleet is then given 1 of 3 orders: attack, retreat or loiter.
If both fleets have retreat or loiter orders, then no combat takes place.
Attack vs Loiter is a standard space battle.
Attack vs retreat: Each fleet rolls d6 & adds the thrust of ships. Attacking ships which have a higher total, catch any retreating ships with a lower total. Either player can downgrade their ships thrust *before* they roll in order to keep the fleet together. If caught, play a stern chase battle with defenders moving on at speed 12 & the attackers arriving d3 turns later.
If the system's owner doesn't have attack orders, then combat takes place around the planet, with fixed defences & the Construction base in orbit.
4. Conquer territory
If the system has functional fixed defences, then a second battle needs to be resolved (if needed).
Marines are then landed on the planet. Compare the total mass of marines to the planets production, this is the odds of conquering the planet.
Attacker/Defender
1:2 1:1 2:1 3:1 4:1
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+ 2+
If the attacker fails, then all the marines are lost. Marines cost 5 pts/mass with no maintainance.
If the attack succeeds, then the planet is conquered. No funds are generated next turn, but it produces it's full amount after that. If the shipyards have been destroyed, then they cannot be rebuilt at this planet.
5. Build new ships (construction/repairs/resupply)
New ships are built from available funds. Maximum construction in any system is equal to that system's budget, less maintainance for the construction facilities. This puts a cap on construction, which makes spreading the facilities around important.
New designs cost 3x normal to account for R&D and bugstomping etc.
Ships can also be repaired at any construction facility at a maximum of 1 damage point per available construction point. Ships are repaired at 5 NPV per hit. Shipyards are also repaired at a cost of 10 NPV/hit. Destroyed ships cannot be repaired (obviously).
Resupply is purchased at normal cost and transported in freighters to where required (fleet train) or the warships stop at the system to resupply. If done properly, you need to keep track of specific supplies (ie: the system might have 23 std fighters, 8 heavy fighters & 3 SML(std) salvoes in stock). If you want to abstract this, ships receive the restock during NEXT turns end phase.
Surplus funds can be saved between turns, but construction is still limited by the shipyards.
6. End phase
If a single player controls 75% of the territory (12 planets), including the Homeworld, then that territory is conquered and the rest of the worlds become neutral if not held by another player.
Optional Rules:
Variable production:
Each turn roll 2 dice for each planet, add the first & subtract the second. This is the permanent change in production for that planet.
Fighter Quality:
Brand new squadrons have 9 pilots and are classed as turkey's. The squadon needs to score 6 hits (not damage) over successive combats before being classed as regular.
Fighters taken out in combat roll d6: 1-3: pilot killed, 4-5: pilot recovered, 6: pilot & fighter recovered.
Squadrons must roll equal to or over the number of replacement pilots on d6 or be downgraded back to turkey again.
Regular squadrons which score 10+ hits (not damage) in 1 game are upgraded to ace (provided the replacement pilots haven't dropped them back to turkey's first). The ace's fate is rolled separately if all 6 fighters are disabled in a combat.
Orbital Weapon Platform
Mass: 60
Cost: 214 pts
Orbital Drives (MD0.5)
Hull: Strong (24; 6/6/6/6)
Armour: 6
[OOOOOO/oooooo/o*oooo/ooo*oo/ooooo*]
Screen - 2
Firecons: 2
ADFC
4 x PDS
1 x Class-3 (FP/F/FS)
2 x Class-2 (6-arc)
SMR (std) (FP/F/FS)
****
Brendan's shipyards: 566 maintainance
Homeworld (H): 190
Coreworld (C): 64 x 3
Colony (L): 18 x 6
Outpost (T): 6 x 6
*****
Brendan's Initial Fleet: 406 maintainance
2 x Ark Royal CVH @690 - empty
1 x Valley Forge SDN @642 - empty
1 x Excalibur BDN @472 - empty
2 x Victoria BB @ 406
2 x Assault Transports @377 - empty
4 Interceptor fighter squadrons (turkey)
3 Standard fighter squadrons (turkey)
4 Attack fighter squadrons (turkey)
4 Torpedo fighter Squadrons (turkey)
Turn 1-2-3: available: 1028 / 1028 / 979
H: Research OWP(211*3=633) +215+215+213
H: Build CH/T (269) +95+95+79
C: 3 x Build CE(219) +110+109; Build DD (100) +100
L: 6 x Build FF (61) +31+30; no build
O: 6 x Build SC (21) +11+10; no build
Other: Marines: 27 / 30 / no build
Surplus: +2 / +2 / +587 = 591