Frontier Space War, version 8.
FSW8 represents the latest upgrade to this interstellar conflict system. I have used some high quality metallic spray paints on the card discs showing the star systems and the all-metal ships made out of nuts and bolts, ball bearings, plumbing fittings, masonry and plaster anchors, and some two-part epoxy resin as adhesive.
The five factions here represent: -
Imperials (I), Aquarians (A), Goths (G), Capitalists (C), Soviets (S).
Yet they can represent anything from Neo-Feudal Noble Houses to a variety of Alien Races.
The combat powers of units in attack A or defence D, appear as the type of dice used for such attacks or defences. Icosahedron 20, Dodecahedron 12, Pentagonal bipyramid 10, Octahedron 8, Cube 6, Tetrahedron 4. The system requires 3 sets of attack dice and two of defence dice.
b/3 means best of 3 dice rolls. (1/tn) means only one shot per player turn. (8*) means Destroyers engaged in rounds of combat with Capital Ships denoted *, attack or defend at 8. # means craft may jump past enemy craft during movement, but not enemy # craft, otherise all other pieces must halt on encountering enemy pieces.
Unit. ATTACK DEFENCE COST MOVE
Capital City* - 20 - 0
Fortress* - 20 5 1 NR
Battleship* 12 12 5 2
Battlecruiser* 10 10 4 2
Cruiser/Carrier 8 8 3 3#
Destroyer 6 (8*) 6 2 3#
Frigate 4 4 1 3#
Fort - 4 - 0
Monitor* 4 20 3 1 NR
Devastator(I) 12 (1/tn) 4 2 3
Fighter(I) 6 6 1/3 01
Attack Cruiser(G) 10 6 3 3
Heavy Gunship*(ACS) 20 4 5 2
Katusha (S) b/3 10 (1/tn) 6 2 3
Flagships* as below
(I)(S) As for Battleship, but attack at 20 and add +1 to all dice in flotilla A or D.
(C) As for Battleship, but may deploy its 2 fighters in addition to standard attack or defence 3:2 lineup.
(G) As for Battleship, but b/3 to self and one other ship in flotilla, A or D.
(A) As for Destroyer, but b/3 to self and two other ships in flotilla, A or D.
All worlds must be occupied by a Fort for income. Any Fortress can produce units up to a total cost of 5 per turn. Unused income cannot be saved. Any ship costing 3 or more may place a Fort on a world cleared of opposing forces at no cost.
Player turn: - INCOME(connected systems), PRODUCTION(at Fortresses), MOVEMENT, COMBAT(retreat, out of combat), (PLACE FORTS)
COMBAT – Risk Protocols, up to 3 Attack dice and 2 Defence dice. Attacker deploys first in each round, up to 3 pieces if available, defender deploys second, must place 2 pieces if available. Compare highest two dice throws in order, defender wins draws. Each side removes one casualty of choice for each loss. After one or more rounds of combat either side may elect to retreat 1 jump from the territory, if possible. NR means no retreat option for unit.
01 Fighters can only move in Carriers. Only one active producing fortress per system.
Start – 2 Player game - All pieces on board, at least one ship and a fort per system. Imperials pick 1 ally. Remaining 3 factions ally as Rebels. Alternate All Imperials then All Rebels. Combined ops in attack or defence.
3 Player game. Imperials versus 2 alliances of 2 others. No combined operations.
4 Player game. Imperials inactive due to internal collapse, no production, or movement, defence only. 4 other factions fight for supremacy.
5 Player game. All five factions strive for supremacy. Alliances may form and break but no combined operations except for conquered factions.
Victory Conditions. Eliminate enemy Capitals. Any remaining forces then become subsumed into an alliance with combined operations.
Income from star systems, Large 3, Medium 2, Small 1.
Starting incomes. (I) 19 (A) 15 (G) 15 (C) 16 (S) 14
Optional extra: Psi Weapon Tournament Rules.
Psi weapons run on strange esoteric, AI, and quantum principles to modify material and psychological realities. Factions may purchase them during their production phases at a cost denoted by C. Any faction may hold up to one of each type of the eight Psi weapons. The black and red Psi weapons can attack enemy Psi weapons (or other enemy units) at any distance with an attack denoted by A. All Psi weapons have a defence denoted by D. Any vessel may transport or hold a Psi weapon, but if all available vessels become destroyed, so does the weapon.
Local effect weapons. (Within systems only.)
(6) Yellow – Command Enhancement. Confers +2, A or D on a Flotilla. C4 D6
(8) Orange - Navigation – Allows all mobile vessels in a flotilla to move 3, ignoring # pickets. C5 D4
(1) White – Prescience – Allows a vessel or flotilla to move and make an attack but to completely cancel the entire action if it fails, at the cost of the loss of the Psi weapon. Alternatively, an attacking flotilla with Prescience may require a defending flotilla without Prescience to deploy first in each combat round. C4 D6
(7) Green - Diplomacy – Allows a flotilla to delay its move for a combined operation with another faction. C3 D8
Non-Local effect weapons. (Effects anywhere.)
(4) Blue - Production Bonus - increases production of fortresses to 8. C3 D6
(2) Purple - Fecundity Bonus – increases income from all systems by 1. C5 D4
(5) Red – Attack Magic - attack any Psi weapon. C3 A6 D6
(3) Black – Dark Arts – attack any Psi weapon or may attack any unit. C5 A8 D8
The following chart shows the ideological relationships of the five example factions.
(Individualist)
l
Goths l Capitalists
l
(Mystical) ---------Imperials ------------(Rationalist)
l
Aquarians l Soviets
l
(Collectivist)
