Lightning Strike

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Back to SCIENCE FICTION SPACE COMBAT RULES

Lightning Strike is the tactical space combat rules for the Jovian Chronicles role-playing system. Despite being a supplement for the RPG, these rules are a stand-alone space combat ruleset. The publisher states that future products in the series will introduce atmospheric and ground combat, new technologies, and new forces.

These rules, contained in a small booklet, provide just enough information so that new players can start fighting with exo-armors almost immediately. Two scenarios are provided.

Each turn starts with players rolling for Initiative, based on the skill level of their best pilots, to see who goes first. Players then alternate activating groups of exo-armors (4 per group), with each vehicle conducting its own Action Phase (consisting of movement, optionally followed by one weapon attack). [Note that these rules use unit to refer to any single vehicle, while group refers to multiple vehicles.]

All vehicles are rated for the number of centimeters they can move per turn. Exo-armors are unlimited in their ability to change facing and turn. Three special movement types are allowed: overthrust (faster speed, but penalty to all Actions), evasion (gains a defense bonus, but may not attack), and aiming (gains an attack bonus and a defense penalty).

Weapons can only fire at targets in their firing arc. For the exo-armors in the initial scenario, the arcs for all weapons are simply 180° to the front.

The game uses the Silhouette system's dice-rolling conventions: When multiple dice are rolled, only the highest die counts. Each additional "6" adds +1 to the result, while rolling all 1's causes a fumble (automatic failure).

Attacks are resolved by an Opposed Skill test. Each player rolls two dice, with the final result modified by weapon type and range (attacker) or avoidance rating for this firing angle (defender). If the attacker's result beats the defender's result, the attack is successful. The difference in the results - the Margin of Success - is multiplied by the weapon's damage rating at this range to determine how much damage is caused.

The total damage from this attack is compared to three ratings on the target vehicle's datasheet - the Stunned, Crippled, and Overkill levels - to determine the effect of the damage. There are different levels, depending on the angle of the attack. Stunned vehicles must waste an Action to become un-Stunned, Crippled vehicles lose half their movement and inflict half as much damage when attacking, and Overkilled vehicles are removed from play.

Close combat is a special case. When two vehicles are adjacent, a close-combat attack may be made. Both the attacker and defender are allowed to attack, with the defender's attack not counting as his Action for that turn. It is possible for both vehicles to knock each other out.

The Basic Game - contained in the "Exo-Armor and Fighter Rules" chapter of the main rulebook - fleshes out the Quick-Start Rules. First, it introduces three new types of combatants:

• fighters - Basically "aircraft in space," fighters suffer no penalties when moving at Overthrust speeds, but are less maneuverable than exo-armors.
• exo-suits - Men in armored spacesuits. The basic unit is the squad.
• infantry - Men in spacesuits, also in squads.

Exo-Armors, fighters, exo-suits, and infantry are collectively known as Standard Units.

Next, the Basic Rules expand the movement rules. Exo-Armors are now considered to have a Sphere of Movement, and during the course of their Action Phase may be considered to be at any point within that sphere. Thus, an Exo-Armor could dodge to one extreme to make an attack, then end its movement on the opposite side of the sphere. Fighters, on the other hand, are constrained to move in the direction they are facing, with a limited ability to make turns.

Another new concept is the idea of Command Points. These are received prior to play, as well as on a turn-by-turn basis (the loser of Initiative gaining a number of points equal to the margin he lost the Opposed Skill test by). A command point is spent to interrupt another vehicle's Action, allowing the chosen vehicle to take an additional Action, change facing, or gain a defense bonus.

The Quick-Start Rules assume that all units may take one Action per Action Phase. Under the Basic Rules, all units are rated for the number of Actions they may perform per each Action Phase. (However, most units are allowed only 1 Action per Action Phase.)

The Basic Rules also require that units trace a valid Line of Sight to their targets. In general, a LOS is blocked only if the target is directly behind the centerpoint of an intervening obstacle.

Another new wrinkle is that units may combine their attacks. In ranged combat, this means that units within a group may declare a combined atack on a single target, with each successive attack gaining a slight bonus. In close combat, it means that an outnumbered defender's combat abilities are degraded.

Lastly, the Basic Rules introduce Weapon Characteristics and Perks and Flaws. These are special rules which apply to specific weapon types or to specific vehicle designs, and include:

• Weapon Characteristics
  • Anti-Infantry (bonus vs. infantry)
  • Anti-Ship (bonus vs. large targets)
  • Armor Piercing (bonus for penetrating, penalty for damage)
  • Missile (means the weapon is subject to anti-missile defenses)
  • Power-Hungry (use of this weapon limits ability to use other weapons this phase)
  • Rapid Fire (weapon may make multiple attacks per Action)
  • Slow (user must use Aiming movement when firing)
  • Seek (seeker technology adds bonus dice when rolling for attack)
• Perks and Flaws
  • Close Combat Optimized (bonus in close combat)
  • Exposed Auxiliary Systems (extra penalties when Crippled)
  • Exposed Fire Control (extra penalties when Crippled)
  • Missile Defense (bonus against missile attacks)
  • Multiple Redundancy (allows dieroll to negate any damage result)
  • Energy/Projectile Protection (gives bonus against particular types of weapons)
  • Reinforced Systems (allows dieroll to negate any Crippled result)

The "Ships" chapter of the main rulebook adds the rules for including major warships in the game. The big ships differ in a number of ways from the smaller exo-armors and fighters:

• they take damage on a component-by-component basis
• recordkeeping is required to track damage
• they have very limited maneuverability
• most ships can use many Actions per Action phase

Ships also have a constantly fluctuating Avoidance value, tracked by use of a disk placed next to each miniature. Depending on the changes, a ship will be harder or easier to hit. Most actions which a ship can take will modify its Avoidance rating (such as firing its engines).

Ships are comprised of systems, which may include:

• main hull
  • Damage Control
  • Reactor/Power
  • Command and Control
  • Electronics
  • Structure
  • Radiation Shielding
• ship components
  • Drives
  • Hangar
  • Cargo
  • Weapons
  • Point Defense System (PDS)

Command Points also work slightly differently with warships. Each player receives a number of Command Points per turn based on the number of ships he has. The points can be spent to allow a ship to take an Action, to change facing (within its turning limits), or to change the mode of its Point Defense System (PDS).

When using ships, the Sequence of Play is altered:

• Initiative Phase
• First Ship Phase (ship movement)
• Main Phase (non-ships perform their Action Phases)
• Second Ship Phase (ships perform their Actions Phases)
• End Phase (missiles launch/hit, miscellaneous tasks)

During the Ship Movement Phase, a ship uses its Thrust rating to move straight forward. Alternately, it can trade half its Thrust away in order to make one facing change. The ability of a ship to change facing depends on its Turning Class (Nimble, Average, Sluggish, or Immobile). Whenever a ship uses its full thrust, it can declare that it is taking advantage of vector movement. This means that at the start of future First Ship Phases, the ship will continue to move in the same direction at its top thrust rating. This is "free" movement, in addition to any thrust the ship may spend that turn.

During the Second Ship Phase, ships may use their available Actions to perform the following tasks:

• thrust - allows a ship to move a second time in the same turn.
• damage control - repairs ship damage.
• spoof - improves the ship's Avoidance score.
• ping - degrades the target's Avoidance score.
• fire weapons - allows a ship to fire any or all of its weapons.

At closer ranges, attackers may target individual ship systems; otherwise, a dieroll randomly determines what is hit. A ship is much more likely to be battered to a useless hulk than to be destroyed, except for a lucky reactor hit.

Ships have a relatively small variety of weapon types:

• Lasers - Can use "sweeping" fire.
• Particle Beams - Inflicts bonus damage to target's Electronics.
• Kinetic Kill Cannon (KKC) - Clusters of small mass-driver cannons, these weapons are Armor-Piercing against small craft but ineffective against warships.
• Missiles - Launched from missile bays during the End Phase, with combat resolved in the End Phase of the following turn. Fired in swarms.
• Point Defense System (PDS) - May be configured to operate in anti-missile or anti-projectile modes. Mode is set at start of turn, and can be changed during the turn only by expending a Command Point.

Ships are vulnerable to close combat, as they do not carry weapons capable of firing at point-blank range. Exo-Armors with the Close Combat Optimized perk have the ability to clamp onto and move with warships they are attacking.

The advanced rules offer a smorgasbord of optional rules, which players may select among prior to play. They cover:

• Reaction Attacks - Allows a unit to attack outside of the Action Phase, at the cost of accumulating Stun damage.
• Electronic Warfare - Provides rules for the Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) and Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM) perks. ECM prevents communications and the use of Command Points; ECCM dispels the effects of ECM.
• Boarding Actions - Allows exo-suits and infantry to attempt to board warships.
• Obstacles - Dust clouds, debris and rock fields, space stations.
• Ramming - Rules for inflicting damage through collision. Crews may refuse to follow orders to ram.
• Launch and Recovery - Allows warships to act as carriers for exo-armors and fighters.
• Aces - Allows the inclusion of talented individuals, with such perks as "Charmed Life" and "Nerves of Steel." A list of known aces is provided. Also gives rules for translating Jovian Chronicles characters into Lightning Strike.

Included in the main rulebook is a set of rules for a limited-war campaign, in which two fleets are sent to contend over some region of the Solar System. A third-party umpire is suggested but not required. Players may choose among three campaign variants:

• Important Station - Fighting for control of a neutral repair station (by driving the enemy fleet away).
• Vendetta - The campaign goal is to destroy the enemy's flagship.
• Recovery - Both players are seeking a lost datacore. Includes rules for searching Obstacles on a battlefield to find the missing treasure.

Players build their fleets by spending equal amounts of points on ships and on standard units (exo-armors, fighters, etc.), using the Campaign Threat Value of the units. Transports may be bought to carry spare parts, fuel, ammunition, and to aid with campaign repairs. There must be sufficient ships to transport all of the standard units (campaign capacities for all ships are listed). Players must also decide whether to keep their fleet unified, or to divide into a main and a reserve fleet (to protect the transports). Each ship also has a Fleet Maneuver Rating (FMR), representing its strategic maneuverability. A fleet's maneuver rating is equal to the lowest FMR in its fleet.

A dieroll determines which area the campaign takes place in - Earth Space, Jovian Space, the Inner Solar System, or the Belt. Each location includes ratings for the likelihood of various Obstacles in any scenario.

The campaign is played in a series of turns, consisting of these steps:

• strategic phase
• repair phase
• reinforcement phase
• battle phase
• regrouping phase

During the Strategic Phase, both players secretly select a strategy, then roll two dice with the result modified by the fleet's FMR rating. The winning player's strategy is compared against the losing player's strategy to discover which scenario will be used this turn. The strategy choices are:

• offensive strategies
  • Objective Raid (fleet attacks)
  • Hunt (fleet disperses abd hunts)
  • Stalk (fleet pursues enemy fleet)
• defensive strategies
  • Fortify (defend objective)
  • Hide (fleet disperses hoping to remain undetected)
  • Withdraw (fleet attempts to pull back, rendezvousing with reserve fleet)
  • Go Home (fleet seeks to leave the campaign)

During the Repair Phase, repairs are performed. A fleet may decline repairs in order to improve its chance of winning the Strategic Phase. Extensive repair rules are provided for in-space and in-station repairs, covering the repairability of different systems and the availability of spare parts.

During the Reinforcement Phase, players may appeal for additional forces or personnel. A player's campaign point total (victory points) affects his chances...

During the Battle Phase, the scenario indicated during the Strategic Phase is played out. Each scenario provides guidance for forces available, set up, any special rules, and victory conditions. Victorious players accumulate campaign points. The scenarios are:

• Test the Waters (clashing patrols)
• Outnumbered (small force is surrounded and must escape)
• Full Contact (major fleet battle)
• Knock, Knock (hit-and-run strike to gain intelligence about the enemy fleet)
• Face of the Enemy (medium-sized battle)
• Vamp (ambush)
• Nobody Home (strike force catches enemy by surprise)
• Headhunter (flagship is caught by surprise)
• Vandalism (hit-and-run attack on campaign objective)
• Eat or Be Eaten (disorganized retreat and pursuit)
• Back Shot (raid on the reserve fleet)

The Regrouping Phase allows both players to determine which units survive the battle, and to make dierolls for ammunition depletion (warships only).

The campaign comes to a conclusion once either player accomplishes the campaign objective, and then successfully executes a withdrawal. Alternately, play can continue to the last unit...

An understanding of the Jovian Chronicles universe is not required in order to play this game, though it may aid in the enjoyment. The Quick-Start booklet includes a 4-page description of the Jovian Confederation and the Central Earth Government and Administration (CEGA), including a briefing on their armed forces.

Data for all available Standard Units is also provided in the Quick-Start booklet:

• JOVIAN CONFEDERATION
  • Exo-Armors
    • Hector (particle cannon, medium missiles)
    • Pathfinder (particle cannon)
    • Pathfinder C (heavy particle cannon)
    • Pathfinder S (sniper railgun, plasma lance)
    • Retaliator (railgun, plasma lance)
    • Stormrider (beam cannon, missile pods, scatter launcher)
    • Vindicator (heavy massdriver, anti-ship missiles, laser cannon)
  • Fighters
    • Lancer Plus (light missiles, anti-ship missiles)
    • Pilum Lancer (laser cannon)
  • Exo-Suits
    • Decker Squad (assault rifles, missile launchers)
    • Falconer Squad (assault rifles)
  • Infantry
    • Spacesuits (guns and grenades)
• CENTRAL EARTH GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION (CEGA)
  • Exo-Armors
    • Cerberus (sniper massdriver, plasma lance)
    • Dragonstriker (beam cannon, vulcan batteries, seeker missiles)
    • Fury (hecatonchires array, sniper railgun)
    • Syreen (ACOLS lasers)
    • Wyvern (hyper-bazooka, medium missiles)
    • Wyvern B (rocket pods, anti-ship torpedoes)
    • Wyvern C (assault massdriver, medium missiles)
  • Fighters
    • Wraith (particle cannon, anti-ship missiles)
    • Wraith-Si (heavy vulcan)
  • Exo-Suits
    • Kobalt Squad (maser rifles)
    • Minotaur Squad (heavy rifles)
  • Infantry
    • Spacesuits (guns and grenades)

Ships are listed in the back of the main rulebook, and are not differentiated by navy:

• Valiant Strike Carrier
• Athena Destroyer
• Forge Escort Carrier
• Corsair Frigate
• Poseidon Battleship
• Hachiman Destroyer
• Tengu Escort Carrier
• Bricriu Corvette
• Ebiru Transport