Mayday (M4.

1)
Sean Bayan Schoonmayer has developed the following starship combat rules
to replace the flawed set released in T4. The rules use the Classic Traveller
game 'Mayday' for their inspiration, and are written to be compatible with the
forthcoming revision of Traveller's playtest draft (released as T4.1). The system
relies on Bruce Alan Macintosh's Definitive Sensor Rules, the T4 version of Fire,
Fusion and Steel (FFS2) to provide the core design system. This Acrobat file
has been locked down to only allow printing, and was produced by
BITS - British Isles Traveller Support.

Game Scale
Time: 1 hr. turns
Distance: 1 hex = 5.0 x 10^7 m = 1/6th of a light second
Thrust: 1 G = 10 m/s^2, rounded up from the actual value of 9.8 m/s^2.
Delta X: for 1G for 1 hr. = 6.48 x 10^7 m
Ships: Ships designed with FFS2.

Ranges
All ranges correspond to the normal T4 range bands, but only begin at the
Planetary scale.

Range(km) Hexes Range Factor T4 Name Band

5 x 10^4 1 9 Planetary Point Blank
1.5 x 10^5 3 9.5 (None) Very Short
5 x 10^5 10 10 Far Orbit Short
1.5 x 10^6 30 10.5 (None) Medium
5 x 10^6 100 11 (None) Long
1.5 x 10^7 300 11.5 (None) Extreme
5 x 10^7 1000 12 (None)

If you've got a map over 1000 hexes wide, you really need to get a life.
[NOTE: The oddball ranges may be eliminated, pending T4.1]

Facing
Ships do not have a facing in this game. Over the course of a turn, there is
ample time for the pilot to realign the ship in whatever direction necessary to
apply proper thrust, get off shots with weaponry, and any other tasks that
require a specific facing. For convenience, and to give a good idea of where a
ship is headed, the nose of the ship should be aligned approximately with its
future position marker.

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Turn Sequence

(1) Determine Initiative

(2) Movement
(3) Sensor Detection/Lock
(4) Weapons Fire Phase
(a) Declare Fire
(b) Energy Weapons
(c) Missile Launch/Detonation
(d) Damage
(5) Vehicle Launch/Recovery
(6) End Phase

(1) Initiative
For each player subtract both Starship Tactics skill and highest ship G rating
from the total number of ships. If all the ships on one side are part of an
integrated military unit, the commander's Fleet Tactics skill may also be
subtracted from the total. The player with the lowest total has the initiative,
followed by the next lowest total, etc. If two players are tied, they each roll a die
to break the tie.

For a slightly more detailed initiative process, roll for each ship, using
applicable modifiers for that ship only, then determine initiative order as above
for individual ships as opposed to each player.

(2) Movement
Movement follows in order of size class and initiative. Starting with the highest
size class, players move those vessels in reverse initiative order (from highest
initiative total to lowest). They then move all vessels of the next lower size class
in reverse initiative order, etc. All craft, including missiles, use a vectored
movement system. The distance and direction in which a vessel moves is
based partially on the previous game turn. Each vessel has a present position
counter, and both a past and future position marker. The following procedure is
used:

(a) Past
The past position marker is moved to the hex containing the present position
counter.

(b) Present
The present position counter is moved to the hex containing the future position
marker.

(c) Future
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Count the hexes to the past position marker, keeping track of the exact
direction. Place the future position marker the same number of hexes in exactly
the opposite direction. Assuming the ship uses no thrust, this represents the
ship's next position.

(d) Thrust
The vessel now applies thrust, moving the future position counter one hex for
each G of thrust it wishes to apply, from zero up to the maximum G rating of the
vessel.

(i) Gravity
Worlds, stars, and other phenomenon with enough mass, have associated
gravity fields. The hexes surrounding the mass will have an arrow, or multiple
arrows, showing the intensity and direction of the field. The number within any
given arrow shows its strength, in G ratings. Any time a ship passes through a
gravity hex, apply the appropriate direction and distance to the ship's future
position marker before the ship applies thrust. Any body massive enough to
posses a gravity field will also have the 100 diameter radius, in hexes, marked
in the center of the counter, for purposes of determining jump elligibility in the
endphase (6).

Example: A planet lies in hex 0610, and all the hexes surrounding the planet
have strength one gravity fields directed back to hex 0610. A ship's current
position counter lies in hex 0709, just outside the gravity field, and its future
position counter lies in hex 0711, next to the planet (thus giving the ship a
velocity of two hexes). If the ship applies no thrust on the next turn, it moves to
hex 0711, and its unmodified future position marker goes to hex 0713. The
ship, however, has moved into two gravity hexes, 0710 and 0711. The gravity
field in 0710 moves the ship's future position marker to 0613, and the field in
0711 moves it to 0513. On the following turn, also assuming no thrust is
applied, the ship moves into hex 0513, and its future position marker is moved
to an unmodified position of 0315. The ship has passed through one last gravity
hex moving away from the planet, 0611, which modifies the marker to its final
resting place of hex 0314.

(ii) Orbit
A ship whose velocity is sufficient to enter it into a circular path around a planet
is considered to be in orbit. No thrust is required to maintain orbit, only to break
free. For a one hex planet with a standard 1 G gravity field in the surrounding
hexes, a ship need only move from one gravity hex to another to enter orbit. The
combination of gravity fields and movement will draw the ship around the
planet, completing one orbit every six turns.

(iii) Space/Planetary Interface

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Planets are assumed to occupy their entire hex for simplicity's sake. A ship may
land on a world by moving into the planet's hex at a speed of 1. Any speed
greater than one will destroy the ship. If the planet has an atmosphere, the ship
must also be streamlined.

Moons and asteroids occupy such a small portion of their hex that a ship may
pass through that hex without penalty. Thrusters can make the minor course
adjustments necessary to avoid the obstacles.

Gas Giants usually take up more than one hex; the center hex of a gas giant is
treated as a normal planetary hex. The surrounding "fringe" hexes are
considered to be atmosphere hexes. A ship passing through one of these
hexes must be streamlined. Ships in orbit around a gas giant may count any
turn in orbit as "skimming" for purposes of fuelling.

A ship spending its first turn in a gas giant's atmosphere is considered to be in

the Upper atmosphere. Each subsequent turn that the ship remains in the
atmosphere, either stationary or in orbit, it may ascend or descend one level.
The three possible levels are: Upper, Lower, and Deep, and impose different
modifiers on various tasks. Ships may not "land," per se, on a gas giant.

(iv) Interception
If, at the end of the movement phase, two ship counters occupy the same hex,
interception has occurred. Missiles will detonate during the weapons fire
phase (4)(c). Each hex actually represents a vast volume of space, so
unintentional collisions are virtually impossible. Ships that have made
interceptions may then match courses if they have sufficient thrust to do so.

(v) Matched Courses

When both ships' counters and future position markers are in the same hexes,
they have matched courses. Ships which have matched courses may
participate in boarding actions in the declare fire step (a) of the weapons fire
phase (4). Small craft which have matched courses with their parent ships may
land during the vehicle launch/recovery phase (5).

(3) Sensor Detection / Lock

NOTE: These sensor rules are based on "Definitive Sensor Rules" by Bruce
Alan Macintosh. See Appendix A for guidelines on determining a ship's
signature, or a ship's sensor sensitivity, when unknown.

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Each ship declares what sensors it will use over the course of the turn. At a
maximum, a ship may only use one active and one passive sensor system per
turn. If necessary, this can be done in writing to avoid players attempting to take
advantage of some ships' active scans.

Each turn, a ship may make any number of new detection attempts, up to once
per opposing bogey marker. The ship may also make any number of attempts
to maintain detection, up to once per opposing vessel or missile counter. The
marker or counter must be within the maximum range of the ship's operating
sensors. Locks may then be immediately attempted on ships that have been
detected, allowing firing solutions.

Though there is no practical limit to the number of detected ships that may be
tracked by a ship's sensors, a ship may only use one active and one pasive
sensor system over the course of a turn. (Those who don't mind the extra
record keeping or complexity may adopt the following limits for active/passive
sensors: TL8, 10/1; TL 9 10/3; TL 10-11, 20/10; TL 12-13, 40/20; TL14-15,
60/30.) The number of locks that a ship can maintain is limited by its fire control
rating.

The procedure for determining detections and locks are as follows:

(a) Signal Strength.

Signal strength is calculated according to the following formula:

Signal = S - RF + TS + Modifiers.

S = Sensitivity of the sensors (from FFS2).

RF = Range Factor (see above).
TS = Target Signature, using active signature for active sensors, and either
visible or infrared signature for the appropriate types of passive sensors.
Modifiers are taken from the following table. Optional modifiers should only be
used by those want added realism at the expense of some playability.

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 Status Active Mod. Pass. Vis. Mod. Pass. IR Mod.
No Thrust 0 -0.5 0
Shutdown 0 -1 0
Active Sensors +1 +1 +1
Evading -0.5 -0.5 -0.5
Surprise +0.5 +1 +0.5
Planet/Asteroid -1 -1 -0.5
Landed -2 -1 -0.5
Atmosphere 0 -0.5 0
Atmosphere GG -1 -2 -1.5
Detect Last Turn +1.5 +1.5 +1.5 (i)
Detect Last 5 Turns +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 (i)
Lock -1.5 -1.5 -1.5 (ii)
Jam -0.5 -0.5 -0.5
Detect Handoff +0.5 +0.5 +0.5
Lock Handoff +1 +1 +1

(i) Not for Locks.

(ii) Use only one depending on jammer.

Basic Modifiers
No Thrust: Target used none of its G rating in (2)(d).
Shutdown: Target's power plant is shut down (excepting life support).
Active Sensors: Target used active sensors last turn.
Evading: Target used a portion of its G rating for evasion.
Surprise: Target is unaware that there are other ships in the area.
Planet/Asteroid: Target is in the same hex as a planet or asteroid counter.
Landed: Target has landed on a planet or asteroid.
Atmosphere: Target is within the atmosphere of a non-GG planet.
Atmosphere GG: Target is within the atmosphere of a GG.
Detect Last Turn: Vessel is rolling to maintain a previous detection.
Detect Last 5 Turns: Vessel is rolling to reestablish a previous detection.
Lock: Vessel is rolling for lock after a successful detection roll.
Jam: Target made a successful jamming task roll.
Detect Handoff: A friendly vessel with detection on the target is in
communication with the sensing vessel.
Lock Handoff: A friendly vessel with lock on the target is in communication with
the sensing vessel.

(i) Jamming
There are two different types of jammers, deceptive and area. A target unit may
attempt to jam the detecting ship if it is equipped with one of these jamming
systems. The sensing ship must be within the jammer's maximum range.
For active area jammers, a 60 degree arc must be chosen as the target arc.
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Any sensing vessel attempting detection and/or lock within the arc may be
effected. The success or failure of the task roll effects all such detection and
lock attempts made on the ship.

To jam detection and lock with active area jammer

(Range Factor) > Staggering (4D)

Adjust the difficulty down one for every TL higher the jamming system is than
the sensing system. Jamming sensors one TL higher is Impossible (6D);
sensors more than two TLs higher cannot be area jammed.

For deceptive jammers, before any lock rolls, roll the appropriate task from the
two given below:

To jam active lock with deceptive jammer

(Range Factor) > Formidable (3D)

Adjust the difficulty down one for every TL higher the jamming system is than
the sensing system. Jamming sensors one TL higher is Impossible (6D);
sensors more than two TLs higher cannot be area jammed.

To jam passive lock with deceptive jammer

(Range Factor) > Impossible (6D)

Adjust the difficulty down one for every TL higher the jamming system is than
the sensing system. Jamming sensors of a TL higher is not possible.

Effects of a successful roll are the same for all jammer types. Apply a -0.5
modifier to the jamming ship's signal strength.

(b) Task Difficulty

The difficulty of the sensor task varies with both the signal strength and the type
of sensors being used.

Signal Active Difficulty Passive Difficulty

<0 [No Detect/Lock] [No Detect/Lock]
0 Impossible (6D) Impossible (6D)
0.5 Average (2D) Staggering (4D)
1 [Auto Detect/Lock] Average (2D)
1.5 [Auto Detect/Lock] Easy (1D)
2 [Auto Detect/Lock] [Auto Detect/Lock]

(c) Task Roll

The target number for the roll is the unit's size rating
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To detect/lock a unit
(Ship Size) > Difficulty (see above)

(i) Bogeys, Detection, and Lockons

All ships, small craft, or other vessels are initially represented as bogey
markers. When the bogey markers are successfully detected, they are replaced
with the appropriate unit counter. Detected ships may then be locked onto to
allow firing resolutions.

Any small craft or missiles launched from a detected ship are automatically
detected. Any missile fire from a locked ship is automatically locked, within the
numerical limits of the vessel's fire control rating.

(4) Weapons Fire Phase

There are four steps within each weapons fire phase.

(a) Declare Fire

Each ship declares what weapons it will fire and their targets. If necessary this
can be done secretly in writing to avoid "me too" firing situations. Laser
batteries may be assigned to point defense for missiles which will detonate
during step (c)

Any boarding actions are played out for the next hour during this step. A ship
involved in offensive boarding action may not fire during this turn.

(i) Boarding Actions

(NOTE: These boarding acxtion rules are essentially a modified BL system.)

Only ships without functional drives or weapons may be boarded. The boarding
ship must first intercept and match courses with the disabled vessel. On the
turn after this has been accomplished, the ship may send boarders into the
disabled ship.

Divide the displacement tonnage of the disabled ship by 500 (FRN, excepting
results less than 1, which are rounded to 1) to determine the number of hull
areas.

Establish if each player is selecting an offensive of defensive posture for the

course of the turn. This decision effects the number of dice that a player will
use, and if it is possible for them to take hull areas. It is possible that both
sides may select offensive or defensive postures, depending on the stuation.
Each player generates a total based on the number of his boarding parties,
receiving +1 for every Marine, and +1 for every 2 other troops. Players with
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offensive posture get one die and players with defensive posture get two dice,
plus another die for every 3 points in his total. Any remainder results act as a
DM on the roll.

Example: If an attacking player had three Marines and four regular troops, he
would roll two dice with a +2 DM.
The player with the higher total captures one hull area, assuming they opted for
an offensive posture. The result of the roll is the number of casualties on the
other side. The victorious side may ignore one casualty per full die of the player
with the lower total.
If the "defenders" of a boarding action are able to win a hull area on the
"attackers" ship, on the next turn they may cut the cables (release the grapples,
etc.). The attacker may not then reboard the ship till the following turn (i.e. if the
defender "won" a hull area of the attacking ship on turn three, the attacker could
not send more troops until turn five).

(b) Energy Weapons

Energy weapons are fired by vessels with a lock, in order of initiative, one ship's
batteries at a time. A successful task roll indicates a hit. The damage of any
hits may be reduced by any appropriate defense or screens. Damage points
are applied immediately. See (d) for detailed damage procedure.
NOTE: It is important to adjust the battery numbers for standard T4 ships to
reflect the increased rate of fire due to 1 hour turns. A ship with a RoF of 10, has
an effective Rof of 60 for one Mayday turn. However, remember that a weapon's
damage may never be increased more than double its unmodified rating by the
rate of fire. Modify the battery numbers according to the following table:

RoF Modifier
10 -1
50 0
100 +1
200 +2
400 +3
800 +4

The RoF Modifier may alternately be used as a DM on the to hit task,

representing the spread of fire over an area, as opposed to putting all the shots
on one point.

A vessel must have a lock on its target in order to accurately engage it. Vessels
may attempt to fire at detected targets with no lock, but the difficulty level is
modified upward by three levels. Difficulties modified above Impossible may
not be attempted.

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The following task must be successfully accomplished to hit the target.
Difficulty is based on range band.

To hit with an energy weapon at Point Blank range

(Ship Size) > Difficult (2.5D)

[NOTE: Increased difficulty is due to tracking problems at a high rate of closure.]

To hit with an energy weapon at Very Short range

(Ship Size) > Average (2D)

To hit with an energy weapon at Short range

(Ship Size) > Difficult (2.5D)

To hit with an energy weapon at Medium range

(Ship Size) > Formidable (3D)

To hit with an energy weapon at Long range

(Ship Size) > Staggering (4D)

To hit with an energy weapon at Extreme range

(Ship Size) > Impossible (6D)

DMs:
+ Target's thrust rating
- Fire control rating
- Predict program DM (see below)
+ Evasion DM (see below)
+/- Crew Gunnery DM (see below)
- RoF Bonus

(c) Missile Launch / Detonation

Missile batteries may be fired by any ship with a lock, in order of initiative, one
battery at a time. For each new volley of missiles, the firing ship must place a
counter in the same hex as the firing ship, along with a past position marker in
the same hex as the marker of the firing ship, and a future position marker,
which is placed according to step (d) of the movement rules, using the
missile's thrust rating to adjust its position. All missiles of equal thrust rating
fired in this step, up to the maximum rating of the launcher, are considered a
volley. A player may voluntarily reduce the thrust rating of some missiles to
create a larger volley of a variety of missile types, but the thrust ratings thus
reduced may not be increased back to original specifications.

The requirement of maintaining a lock on the target vessel depends on the type
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of homing system in the missiles fired. The most basic system, controlled (C),
requires a lock for the entire flight time of the missile, but if the ship has locks
on multiple vessels, the target of the missile may be switched between locked
targets.

For the semi-independent (SI) tracking system, the ship must also maintain a
constant lock on the target ship, but may use the missile's sensors for lock
modifiers if the target is within range. Use of the missile's on board sensors is
not mandatory. The target of a SI missile may be switched if the same
condictions for switching the target of a C missile are met.

The most advanced homing system, fully independent (FI), only requires a lock
on the turn the missiles are fired, after which the missiles are either on a
balistic tragectory or maintain their own lock. When launched, the player must
specify a number of turns, and a set accelleration, if desired, that the missile
will follow a set course, at which point the missile turns on its sensors and
aquires its target, so long as the target remains within the missile's sensor
range. If the vessel has locks on multiple targets at the time of launch, the
missile may be given a prioritised list of targets for when its sensors come on
line. FI missiles only count against their ship's control limits on the turn of
launch. Failure to meet any of the missile lock parameters causes the missile
to go inert.

A note must be made for each volley, stating its exact composition and the
targets of the missiles within it.

A ship may control a number of missiles equal to the MFD's control number
times the number of MFDs dedicated to missile control (2 for TL9, 3 for TL10-
11, 4 for TL12-13, 5 for TL14, and 6 for TL15).

When a missile's movement takes it into the same hex as the target ship, or
the proper designated range for advance TL missiles, it will detonate in this
step. A missile which is scheduled to detonate still counts against the ship's
control limits for the remainder of the turn. Any missile which survives
countermeasures and successfully detonates rolls the following task. Proximity
detonation missiles, available at higher tech levels, avoid most
countermeasures by detonating farther away from the ship, usually one to three
hexes. Hitting the ship at range, however, is slightly more difficult.

To "hit" with a missile at Point Blank range

(Ship Size) > Average (2D)

To "hit" with a missile at Very Short range

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(Ship Size) > Formidable (3D)

DMs:
+ (Target's thrust rating - missile thrust rating)
- Fire Control Rating
- Predict program DM (see below)
+ Evasion DM (see below)
+/- Crew Gunnery DM

Success indicates that the missile's laser has hit the target, inflicting the
appropriate number of damage points. Damage points are applied
immediately. See (d) for detailed damage procedure.

(i) Evasion
Ships with the proper evasion software and a skilled pilot may use some of
their thrust for evasive action, making the ship harder to hit. A military ship will
have the program appropriate to its TL. The default Pilot skill level is 2, and the
default modifier follows the fraction of pilot skill allowable for the various
programs. The programs available are:

(TL9) Evade 1 Allows 1/4(FRN) of pilot skill to be used(0)

(TL10) Evade 2 Allows 1/2(FRN) of pilot skill to be used(1)
(TL11) Evade 3 Allows 3/4(FRN) of pilot skill to be used(2)
(TL12) Evade 4 Allows pilot skill to be used (2)

By sacrificing 1G of thrust, the ship may take advantage of the -DM, but the
bonus may never be greater than the total G rating of the ship. Not even the
most skilled pilot can do much with a tub that turns like a cow.

(ii)Predict Programs
Ships with proper predict software, which help anticipate the future course of a
target, greatly simplifying the gunner's task. A military ship will have the
program appropriate to its TL. The programs available are:

(TL10) Predict 2 +2DM for one target

(TL11) Predict 3 +3DM for one target
(TL12) Predict 4 +4DM for one target
(TL13) Predict 5 +5DM for one target

(d) Damage
Sandcasters may be employed to reduce damage before it is applied. A
successful sandcaster hit reduces laser or NPAW damage by 1 point or a
missile salvo by 1 missile. The defending ship fires any allowable number of
sandcasters at each battery's or volley's hit, rolling once for all the potential
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damage in it. The following task is used:

To "hit" with a sandcaster

(7) > Average(2D)

DMs:
The DM is based solely on range to the firing unit.

Range Band DM
Point Blank +2
Very Short +1
Short 0
Medium -1
Long -2
Extreme -4

If the roll is successful, the damage, or number of missiles is reduced by the

number of canisters used. If the roll is unsuccessful, the canisters are still
used, as is their launch capacity from the vessel's sandcasters, leaving fewer
to deal with future hits in the turn. Damage for all remaining hits are applied
following the sandcaster roll, reducing first armor points, and then structure
points when all armor has been eliminated. For a hit causing armor damage,
roll once on that ship's external explosions table. For a hit causing structural
damage, roll once on that ship's internal explosions table. If a hit damages
both armor and structure, roll once on each table. (see below)

Sandcasters which have expended their ready supply of ammunition may

replenish it from ship's stores (if carried) in two turns.

When a ship has no structure points left, it has totally lost structural integrity,
and breaks up.

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Damage Charts

(i) Generic Starship

External Explosions (2D)

2 - Internal Explosion - bypass armor
3 - Launch Capacity Hit - launch system destroyed
4 - Maneuver Drive Hit - loose 1G thrust rating
5 - Battery Hit - 1 offensive destroyed
6 - No Effect
7 - No Effect
8 - No Effect
9 - Battery Hit - 1 offensive destroyed
10 - Defensive Screen Hit - reduce screen or sandcaster by 3
11 - Spinal Mount Hit - inoperable
12 - Internal Explosion - bypass armor

Internal Explosions (2D)

2 - Bridge Hit - No maneuver, jump, jam, detect, screens; +1DM lock
3 - Fire Control Hit - All MFDs out
4 - Power Plant Hit - no maneuver, evade, jam, jump, e-weap., act sensors, screens; pass
sensors +1DM
5 - Sensors Hit - no jam, detect; +2DM lock
6 - Battery Hit - 1 offensive destroyed
7 - No Effect
8 - Fuel Hit - no maneuver, jump; loose all fuel; roll again
9 - Crew/Passengers/Cargo Hit - 25% killed/destroyed
10 - Maneuver Drive Hit - loose 1G thrust rating
11 - Jump Drive Hit - no jump
12 - Ship Explodes

(ii) Generic Fighter/Small Craft

External Explosions (1D)

1 - Maneuver Drive Hit - loose 1G thrust rating
2 - Battery Hit - 1 offensive destroyed
3 - No Effect
4 - No Effect
5 - Battery Hit - 1 offensive destroyed
6 - Internal Explosion

Internal Explosions (1D)

1 - Pilot Hit - pilot killed/wounded
2 - Fire Control Hit - All MFDs out
3 - Power Plant Hit - no maneuver, evade, jam, jump, e-weap., act sensors, screens; pass
sensors +1DM
4 - Battery Hit - 1 offensive destroyed
5 - Maneuver Drive Hit - loose 1G thrust rating
6 - Ship Explodes

If the ship in question doesn't have the listed system, treat it as No Effect.

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(5) Vehicle Launch / Recovery
Small craft, fighters, and battle riders may be either launched or recovered in
this phase in accordance to the launch rates of the "mother" ship.

Launched craft receive counters, and past and future position markers, in the
same manner as missiles from step (c) of phase (4). Each launch facility may
launch or recover up to six times its normal T4 launch rate over the course of a
turn (6 craft per turn, with the exception of launch tubes, which may launch or
recover up to 240[!!] craft per turn).

In order to land, the craft must have intercepted and matched courses with it's
carrier. It must be in the same hex, and its future position marker must also lie
in the same hex as that of the parent ship.

(6) End Phase

During the end phase, players take care of any necessary record keeping, and
ships which qualify may disengage or jump.

To qualify to disengage, a ship must have a G rating equal to of higher than any
opposing ship on the board. If the G rating is equal, then its velocity must be
higher than any of the opposing ships. No enemy ships may be within
weapons range, and no missiles may be targeted on the disengaging ship.
The ship may also depart if the opposing player agrees to waive any or all of
these conditions.

(a) Jump Drive

Jump capable ships past the 100 diameter limit may attempt to jump out of the
system. The ship cannot have applied any thrust for the current turn, and must
still have a functional jump drive by the end of the turn. It cannot have taken any
structural damage during the weapons fire phase. The 100 diameter limit for
planets will be printed in the center of the counter. For general purposes
however, most planets have a 100 diameter limit of 24 hexes. The limit for gas
giants may be generalised as approximately 240 hexes, meaning that if there's
a gas giant on the playing surface - forget it !

1998-1999 Sean Bayan Schoonmaker Page 15 of 27

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Additional Sensor Modifiers (Optional)

Fired Beam +0.5 +1 +0.5

Fired Missile +0.5 0 +0.5
HEPlaR 1-2 G 0 +0.5 0
HEPlaR 3-20 G 0 +1 0
HEPlaR 21+ G 0 +1.5 0
Alert 0 +0.5 0
Battle Stations 0 0 0
Shadow 0 0 -2
Landed/Cammo -2 -1 -1
Planet/GG -0.5 -0.5 0
Atmosphere 6-7 0 -0.5 0
Atmosphere 8-9 -0 -1 -0.5
Atmosphere A+ -0.5 -1.5 -1
Atmosphere GG Upper -1 -2 -1.5
Atmosphere GG Lower -1.5 -2.5 -2.5
Atmosphere GG Deep -2.5 -4.5 -4.5

Optional Modifiers
Fired Beam: Target fired beam weapons last turn.
Fired Missile: Target fired missiles last turn.
HEPlaR 1-2 G: Target used the indicated G rating using a HEPlaR drive.
HEPlaR 3-20 G: Target used the indicated G rating using a HEPlaR drive.
HEPlaR 21+ G: Target used the indicated G rating using a HEPlaR drive.
Alert: Target is aware that other vessels may be in the area.
Battle Stations: Target is aware that other hostile vessels may be in the area.
Shadow: Target lies in the shadow of a planet or asteroid.
Landed/Cammo: Target has landed on a planet or asteroid and cammoflaged
itself.
Planet/GG: Target is within one hex of a GG
Atmosphere #: Target is within the UPP coded atmosphere of a non-GG planet.
Atmosphere GG [__]: Target is at the indicated depth of a GG's atmosphere.

NOTE: The optional atmosphere modifiers are used in place of the basic
modifiers. Do not combine them.

Crew Modifiers (Optional)

The crew for a ship are rated in both quality and skill. Quality is the equivalent of
an attribute, and skill is equivalent to training in various tasks. This way a crew
of characters can easily be integrated into the game. The crew quality and skill
DMs are combined to give a general crew DM.
1998-1999 Sean Bayan Schoonmaker Page 16 of 27
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Crew quality has the same potential range as a character's primary
characteristics, 2 through 15, though one would be hard pressed to find
examples at either extreme of the spectrum. The larger an empire is, the larger
pool of personnel they have to draw from for their military, and the better
general quality of their crews. As conflicts draw on, empires may be forced to
accept a lower quality individual to keep their ships manned. Crew quality is a
number from 2 to 15, which then generates a DM. The DM is determined by
subtracting 8 from the crew quality; the following categories are provided for
reference.

Quality Attribute Modifier

Incompetant 5- +3DM or more
Poor 6-7 +2 or +1DM
Average 8 0
Competent 9-10 -1 or-2DM
Excellent 11+ -3DM or "less"

Crew skill is rated in four areas, Ship Tactics, Pilot, Gunnery, and Sensors. For
fleet engagements, Fleet Tactics is also used, but will only be noted for the
flagship of the fleet. Various militaries are trained to different standards, often
irrespective of the empire's size. As conflicts drag on, empires are often forced
to curtail the training of their personnel This, along with casualties among
veterans, results in a lower general level of skill. Skill levels range from 1 to 6,
which then generate a DM. The DM is determined by subtracting 2 from the skill
level; the following categories are provided for reference.

Quality Skill Modifier

Green 1- +1 or +2 DM
Average 2 0
Experienced 3 -1DM
Veteran 4 -2DM
Crack 5 -3DM
Elite 6+ -4DM or "less"

NOTE: Crew skill levels of 5+ will be extremely rare.

These two DMs are combined to find the total Crew DM for any given task.

Example: A crew quality of 6 combined with a sensor skill of 3 combines to give

a +1 Crew DM.

1998-1999 Sean Bayan Schoonmaker Page 17 of 27

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To integrate Mayday with T4, simply substitute the character's attributes and
skills into the appropriate crew DM calculation for sensors, starship tactics,
gunnery, or pilot.

Mayday 3D (Optional)
As the Delta X equation works equally well up and down as it does for two
dimensional movement, this system is easily adaptable for three dimensional
movement. Assign the map a level of "Zero," and simply use markers to keep
track of how far above or below the plane any given counter or marker is. Thus,
if a ship's past position marker is in hex (0601,-1) and the present position
counter is in (0604,1), the future position marker would be placed in (0607,3)
before any thrust was applied.

1998-1999 Sean Bayan Schoonmaker Page 18 of 27

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Appendix A
(Taken from "Definitive Sensor Rules" by 1998-1999 Bruce Alan Macintosh)

Signatures
A ship's active signature (Active Mod.) is calculated based on its surface area
using the following table. A rough approximation of hull displacement ton
equivalents is provided for those who have no way of determining the surface
area of a pregenerated design.

Surface Area Signature dTon Equiv.

0.1-9m^2 -0.5 <1
10-999m^2 0 1-199
10^3-99999m^2 +0.5 200-99999
10^5-9999999m^2 +1 10^5+

EMM decreases radar signature by 0.5.

The passive emitted (Pass. IR Mod.) signature is calculated based on a ship's

power plant output. For those who have no way of determining a ship's power
plant output, use (Power Plant Rating x dTons / 2).)

Power(MW) Signature
0-0.009 -2.5
0.01-0.09 -2.
0.1-0.9 -1.5
1 -9 -1
10 -0.5
100 0
1000 0.5
10^4 1
10^5 1.5
10^6 2

Ships with Stealth reduce their emitted signature by 0.5. Ships with EMM
reduce their signature by 1.0

The passive reflected (Pass. Vis. Mod.) signature is calculated based on a

ship's surface area. Once again, a rough approximation of hull displacement
ton equivalents is provided for those who have no way of determining the
surface area of a pregenerated design.

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Surface Area Signature dTon Equiv.
1-9m^2 -2 1
10-99m^2 -1.5 1-99
100-999m^2 -1 100-299
1000-9999m^2 -0.5 300-3999
10^5-99999m^2 0 4000-199999
10^6-999999m^2 0.5 200000-10^6
10^7-9999999m^2 1.0 >10^6

Ships with TL10+ EMM reduce their reflected signature by 0.5

These base signatures are for normal TL10+ starships, which are assumed to
have "chameleon" hulls that can change color and pattern. In a combat
situation the hull is adjusted to be as black as possible. Starships without this
color-changing coating (i.e. TL9- ships, or civilian ships where the coating was
not applied for economic reasons) increase their reflected signature by +1.
TL8-9 ships with Stealth ignore this penalty.

Example: A TL-12 100 dTon scoutship with a spherical hull (surface area of 600
m2), and a power plant output of 150 MW has an active (Active Mod.) signature
of 0. It has a reflected signature (Pass. Vis. Mod.) of -1, and an emitted signature
(Pass. IR Mod.) of 0.
If the ship were equipped with EMM, the emitted signature(Pass. IR Mod.) would
be reduced to-1.0, and the active (Active Mod.) and reflected (Pass. Vis. Mod.)
would be -0.5 and -2.0 respectively.

Sensor Sensitivity
Passive sensors from the QSDS or SSDS can be converted to the new system
using the following table:

T4 Rating Sensitivity
<1 13
1-2 13.5
3-4 14
5-6 14.5
7-8 15.0

1998-1999 Sean Bayan Schoonmaker Page 20 of 27

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Active sensors from the QSDS or SSDS can be converted to the new system
using the following table:

T4 Rating Sensitivity
<1 11.5
1-7 12.0
8-16 12.5

LADAR sensors also the following table, but remember that LADARs cannot
make new detection rolls, only reestablishing detection and locks.

T4 Rating Sensitivity
<1 12.0
1-7 12.5
8-16 13.0

1998-1999 Sean Bayan Schoonmaker Page 21 of 27

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Portions of this material may be copyright FarFuture Enterprises 1977 to 1999.
Appendix B

Missile Data
The following table provides some standard missile types. Any successful hit
is sufficient to destroy a missile. All missiles use HEPlaR drives unless
otherwise specified.

Type Size G Rating G Turns

Controlled 6 12 76
Semi-independent 6 6 30 (14.5 Sensitivity, 10 hex range)
Fully Independent 6 6 32 (14.5 Sensitivity, 10 hex range)
Jammer 6 9 36 (Effective in same hex only)
Decoy Missile (TBD)

1998-1999 Sean Bayan Schoonmaker Page 22 of 27

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Portions of this material may be copyright FarFuture Enterprises 1977 to 1999.
Appendix C

New Damage System (Under Development - DO NOT USE YET)

Charts need to reflect %Surface area (for External) or %Internal volume (for
Internal) from design process as closely as possible.
Charts parallel size class with # of dice used (1D) for size 7, (2D) for size 8,
(3D) for size 9, etc. to allow for larger # of systems.
Give all components a hit value based on volume. A hit that destroys one
component completely with damage left over rolls again for the next system hit.
Damage control is task roll to remove one effect
[After sandcaster sequence]

After sandcaster fire has been resolved, if there are any hits still remaining, they
will strike the vessel's armor, and possibly cause external and internal hits.

Laser fire is reduced by armor at a rate equal to its penetration value (FRU), so
a laser with a penetration value of 1/7 which hits 20 points of armor has its
damage reduced by 3 points before damaging ship's systems. Other weapons,
excepting meson guns, have their damage reduced by the full value of the
armor before damaging systems. Meson weapons are not reduced by armor,
but may be reduced by screens.

Ships roll on the damage table which most closely corresponds to their size
class and internal structure (i.e. a cargo vessel would roll on the appropriate
sized freighter table, while warships would use military tables). A single roll
determines hit location on both external and internal tables. When rolling on the
chart, if the ship doesn't have the listed system, shift one result towards the
center of the chart (marked with a ). If the ship does not posess that system,
then treat the hit as Hull or Fuel. If that shot does internal damage, however,
use the original die roll for determining internal location. When rolling on a
subtable and the ship does not have the listed system, the defender may
choose to adjust the roll either up or down until the result is valid.

Each result specifies how many hits a system can take, and the effects of hits
insufficient to completely destroy the system.

If an internal system has been destroyed and there are still hits left to resolve,
reroll on the damage table for the next system hit, and apply the remaining
damage points to that system. Multiple systems, like sandcasters or offensive
batteries, only have the listed portion destroyed before rerolling for the next
system.

1998-1999 Sean Bayan Schoonmaker Page 23 of 27

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Damage Charts

Military Size 8 (2D)

Roll External Internal

2 Electronics (T) Electronics (T)
3 Power Plant Power Plant
4 Fuel Scoops Purification
5 Drives (T) Drives (T)
6 Hull Drives (T)
7 Hull Fuel
8 Hull Hanger
9 Offensive (A) Offensive
10 Defensive (T, A) Defensive (T)
11 Access (T) Crew Area (T)
12 Internal Hits Bridge

Electronics Subtable (1D)

Roll External Internal

1 Jammer Jammer
2 Passive Passive
3 Active Active
4 MFD MFD
5 Communication Communication
6 Communication Computer

() Drives Subtable (1D)

Roll External Internal

1 Maneuver Maneuver
2 Jump Maneuver
3 Jump Maneuver
4 CG Lift Jump
5 CG Lift Jump
6 CG Lift CG Lift

1998-1999 Sean Bayan Schoonmaker Page 24 of 27

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() Defensive Subtable (1D)

Roll External Internal

1 SandcastersSandcasters
2 Screens Screens
3 Screens Screens
4 Screens Screens
5 Screens Screens
6 Screens Screens

() Access Subtable (1D)

Roll External
1 Airlock
2 Launch
3 Launch
4 Launch
5 Launch
6 Launch

() Crew Area Subtable (1D)

Roll Internal
1 Corridor
2 Stateroom
3 Stateroom
4 Stateroom
5 Shops
6 Other

Each starship system has a number of hits required to degrade its

performance (1 reduction), and a number of reductions it can sustain before
destruction, in the format "x / y" (where x = hits per reduction and y = number of
reductions to destroy). Thus, a power plant might be listed as 6 / 4, or a jump
drive as 10 / 2. In general, each reduction degrades the performance of the
system by a percentage corresponding to the number of reductions required to
destroy the system. So the 10 / 2 jump drive above has its performance
reduced by 50% with each reduction.

1998-1999 Sean Bayan Schoonmaker Page 25 of 27

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Damage Effects
Active (External) 1 point destroys antenna (Internal) 1 point destroys one active sensor
system.
Airlock (External) 1 point destroys one airlock.
Bridge (Internal) [Size - 5] points destroys bridge; hull breach.
CG Lift (External) [Size - 5] points reduce the ship's CG rating by .5 G (Internal) [Size - 7]
points reduce the ship's CG rating by .5 G; destroyed when CG rating reaches zero.
External rating reduction does not effect internal rating.
Communication (External) 1 point destroys antenna (Internal) 1 point destroys one
communication system.
Computer (Internal) 1 point destroys one computer
Corridor (Internal) 2 points renders one corridor section impassable; hull breach.
Fuel (Internal) 1 point reduces fuel by 28 m^3; maximum [Size - 3] hits before rerolling
location.
Fuel Scoops (External) [Size - 5] points reduce scoops by 5% hull m^2.
Hanger (Internal) [Hanger dTons/10] hits destroys hanger; hull breach.
Internal Hits (External) reroll on internal table, bypassing armor.
Jammer (External) 1 point destroys antenna (Internal) 1point destroys jammer.
Jump (External) [Size - 6] points destroy a portion of the jump grid, reducing the ship's
jump range by 1 (Internal) [Size - 7] points reduce the ship's jump rating by 1; destroyed
when jump rating reaches zero. External rating reduction does not effect internal rating.
Launch (External) 2 points disables one launch facility.
Maneuver (External) 2 points destroy one thruster plate, reducing the ship's G rating by
[100%/(Size - 6)] (Internal) [Size - 4] points reduce the ship's G rating by 1 G; destroyed
when G rating reaches zero. External rating reduction does not effect internal rating.
MFD (External) 1 point destroys antenna (Internal) 1 point destroys one MFD system.
Offensive (External) 2 points disable 1 battery or [Size - 3] points disable spinal mount
(Internal) 5 points destroy 1 battery or [Size +2] points destroys spinal mount.
Other (Internal) 1 point destroys Galley, Brig, Recreation room, Meeting room, or other
crew related facility; hull breach.
Passive (External) 1 point destroys antenna (Internal) 1 point destroys one passive
sensor system.
Power Plant (External) [Size - 7] hits destroy heat baffles, increasing IR Pass. signiature
by 1 (Internal) 1 hit reduces power output by 50 MW; destroyed when output reaches
zero.
Purification (Internal) [Size - 4] points increase purification time by 1 hour; destroyed
when time reaches 12 hours.
Sandcasters (External) 1 point destroys ports for 2 sandcasters (Internal) 1 point
destroys 2 sandcasters)
Screens (External) [Size - 6] points reduce screen rating by 1 (Internal) [Size - 6] points
reduce screen rating by 1; destroyed when screen rating reaches zero. External rating
reduction does not effect internal rating.
Shops (Internal) 1 point destroys Engineering shop, Machine shop, Sickbay, or other
repair facility; hull breach.
Stateroom (Internal) 1 point destroys one stateroom; hull breach.

1998-1999 Sean Bayan Schoonmaker Page 26 of 27

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Appendix D

Comments
"ShipSheet" design should have graphic representation of damage
Possibly add modifier for large numbers of missiles coordinating attacks for
bonus.
Look for possible TL bonus DMs.

Tactics

Design Notes
Now that T4.1 uses FFS2 ranges and material, I've drastically rewritten to
make use of all the new toys.

1998-1999 Sean Bayan Schoonmaker Page 27 of 27

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