PLANET BUSTERS Factions… All Seeking to Bring the Most Planets Under Their · AFTER Any Attempts to Capture a Planet, the Attacker Control

SPACE COMBAT

1. LASER FIRE · Attacker determines order of battles. The Game of Interplanetary War · by Tom Wham & Jim Ward · Each ship can fire its weapons only once during Laser Fire. · Each firing ship compares its own Battle Number to that of its target: If the firing ship’s value is higher, the difference is subtracted from the Combat Roll; if the target’s value is higher, the difference is added to the Combat Roll. · Roll a d10: 1–5 destroys target, 6–10 misses (Note: Regardless of modification, rolling a “1” is always a hit, while rolling a “10” – “0” on most d10s – is always a miss.)

2. TORPEDO FIRE · Any ship or satellite that survived Laser Fire may fire one Torpedo for each “T” on its counter. · Resolve each Torpedo as follows (Attacker first): Each player selects a number on a d10; both are revealed simultaneously. If equal, or if the difference is no greater than 1, the Torpedo hits and the target is destroyed. (Note: “1” and “0” (ten) are considered adjacent.)

3. PLANETARY ATTACK – CAPTURE · If at any point during combat the Defender has no ships or satellites remaining, any remaining Attackers may attempt to capture any ONE of the Defender’s Planets. · Resolve Laser attacks on the Planet first (resolved as in Laser Fire, using the Planet’s Battle Number); then if the It is the far distant future. The planets around the sun have been Attacker has any Torpedoes left, they also may be used tamed and colonized by humans. Unfortunately, the interplanetary to attack the Planet (resolved as in Torpedo Fire). government has grown corrupt and feeble. Power groups are · Any successful attack captures the Planet. marshaling their forces in efforts to gain control of the worlds and the warships with which to hold them. Players are the leaders of these 4. PLANETARY ATTACK – PLANET BUSTERS factions… all seeking to bring the most planets under their · AFTER any attempts to capture a Planet, the Attacker control. It will be a desperate struggle, and no one knows who will win! may attempt to destroy the Defender’s Planets if he has Table of Contents any Planet Busters remaining. · Each Planet Buster may attack a different Planet, or they BASIC GAME ...... 3 may combine their fire against a single Planet. ADVANCED GAME ...... 11 · Resolve as in Laser Fire, comparing the Battle Numbers of CREDITS ...... 15 the Planet Buster(s) and the target Planet. A successful SPACE SHIPS OF THE 24TH CENTURY ...... 16 attack destroys the Planet (which is discarded). MAJOR POWERS OF 2305 ...... 19 · Whether successful or not, Planet Busters are discarded EXAMPLE OF COMBAT ...... 20 after use. QUICK REFERENCE CHARTS ...... 23

Sequence of Play Planet Busters is played in successive turns called Player Turns. During a Player Turn, the player draws 2 pieces from the Draw Deck and adds them to his hand. He may then meld pieces from his hand into his Zerstor vs. Scout: –1 Sphere of Influence. The player then has the option of sending his Scout vs. Zerstor: +1 space fleet to attack the Sphere of any ONE other player. After Space Combat (if any), the player's ships return to his Sphere. If, at this time, BATTLE #4 the player has more than 6 pieces in his hand (hidden from other The Scout, with 1 added to its die roll, rolls a 1 which is always a hit players on the rack), he must discard until his hand totals only 6. anyway, and destroys the Zerstor. The Zerstor, with 1 subtracted from This completes a Player Turn. its die roll, rolls a 6 and so barely destroys the Scout. OUTLINE OF A PLAYER TURN 1. Draw 2. Meld (optional) 3. Attack any one other player (optional) 4. Discard (if necessary) Play proceeds clockwise around the table. RESTOCKING THE DRAW DECK Baycruz vs. Uranus: +2 When the Draw Deck has been exhausted once (the cloth bag has PLANETARY COMBAT been emptied), take all the pieces from the Discard Pile – including If any of Tom's ships (or satellites) had survived, combat would be over the Peace Treaty – and place them in the cloth bag to form a new and Ernie's ships would have to return home. Such was not the case, Draw Deck and continue play. and Tom’s Sphere is now defenseless. Ernie has one fuel left over (and ENDING THE GAME no more to play from his hand) so only one of his two surviving ships The game ends the moment any player draws the Peace Treaty. You may attack a planet (and only one planet may be attacked, no must reveal the Peace Treaty whenever you draw it; however, you matter how many ships remain for Planetary Combat). may meld any planets remaining in your hand before revealing the Ernie chooses to send his Baycruz (5) against Uranus (7). The difference Peace Treaty. adds two to Ernie's die roll so he will only capture the planet on a roll HOW TO WIN of 1, 2 or 3. In this case, Ernie rolls a 2 and captures the planet. Ernie When the Peace Treaty is drawn, play stops. Players count the total takes Uranus and places it face up in his Sphere, and his surviving value of the Planets they control in their Spheres of Influence. The Baycruz and Zerstor are placed face down around it. highest total planetary value is the winner. If there is a tie, both players win. If you are playing the Advanced Game, the two Colonies are worth ½ point each if in orbit around a player's Sphere. The Draw At the beginning of his turn, a player draws two pieces from the Draw Deck. Whenever a player melds a planet into his Sphere of Influence, he may draw two additional pieces. A player may meld any number of planets in a turn and may continue to draw extra pieces until he stops melding new planets. When the Draw Deck is emptied, all the discards and the Peace Treaty are placed back in the Draw Deck. Any player who was unable to complete a draw does so as soon as the Draw Deck is restocked.

22 EXAMPLE OF COMBAT BASIC GAME 3 EXAMPLE OF COMBAT they are committed to fire only at each other. The attacker may not double up (place more than one ship opposite any single The illustration shows an attack by Ernie against Tom. Before the instant defending counter) until he has placed at least one ship opposite in time pictured, Ernie decided to send all ships in his Sphere on the every defending counter. Once there is at least one attacker for attack. He revealed two Fuel counters from his hand, a 4 and a 7. This each defender, there is no restriction on the number of extra ships provides a total of 11 fuel – enough to move five ships and to fire five the attacker may line up against any of the defenders. ships with 1 fuel left over (there is no change… but the 1 remaining fuel If the attacker's fleet is smaller than the defender's, defending ships could be used in planetary attack if all of Tom's ships are destroyed). with nothing paired against them are ignored (they remain face Neither player had Special Events to play so Ernie began pairing up his down and out of combat). ships. Tom's pieces started the encounter face down. Ernie first moved Not all of the attacker’s fleet must be paired against defending a Scout against #2 revealing a Conicle; and because a Scout can ships. The Tanker has no attack value for example, so it should reveal the two ships on either side of its target, also learned of the #1 remain in the rear, out of combat. In the Advanced Game, Dranaut, and the #3 Tug. Ernie took a chance on ship #4 because he Salvage Ships and Carriers can also lurk out of harm's way. had no more Scouts. He paired up his Zerstor there and discovered a lowly Scout. 4. Defender Fuel Allocation. Once all attacking ships have been lined TOM up against defenders, the defender may play one or more Fuel counters to enable his ships to return fire. The defender automatically receives 1 Fuel from each melded planet in his Sphere for this purpose, so he might not need to play a Fuel counter from his hand. One unit of Fuel is required for each ship that fires. Only those ships which have been attacked may return fire. Place any defending Fuel counters face up on the table (all Fuel used on both attack and defense is discarded at the end of the combat). 5. Attacker Special Events. The attacking player may now play Special Events from his hand against the ships of the defender (only 1 4 Mutiny or Sabotage are useful here). Space Combat 2 3 1. Each pairing of attacking/defending ships is a separate battle. Combat is resolved one battle at a time. The attacker determines the order in which battles are fought. 2. The effect of ERNIE weapon fire is determined by the roll of a 10-sided die. Because he wants to kill all the ships in Tom's Sphere, Ernie pairs up a A roll of 1–5 Zerstor with the Tug, a Baycruz with the Dranaut, and doubles up on eliminates the the Conicle by adding the other Baycruz to his Scout (you can only target. Each pile on if all enemy ships are attacked… and they are). The odds are ship may fire in Ernie's favor everywhere except in the Baycruz vs. Dranaut combat. its weapons If he had any more extra ships, he would have placed them there. once, if it has the fuel points Tom reveals 6 Fuel so he is able to fire all his ships (wasting a little). necessary to The battle is ready to begin. fire. 20 EXAMPLE OF COMBAT BASIC GAME 5 DRANAUT Planet Busters Built from 2288 to the present at Deimos Planet Busters are special self-contained robotic attack units. They do Shipyards not require fuel and must be kept in your hand until you make an attack. Place them face up on the table with your attacking fleet. Standard Armament: Early models, 4 Mk III Laser They may be turned back by Halley's Comet or Meteor Storm. They Cannon; after 2290, 4 Mk IV Laser Cannon. may be destroyed by Sabotage… but they are not subject to Mutiny Powered by: a single Systvyent AR-4 (two AR-3s in series) Gravity Disrupter. (because there's no crew aboard). A Planet Buster turned back by a comet or storm is discarded. Service: Alarmed by the increase in pirate activity in the late 80s, the During an attack, a Planet Buster is paired with a Martio Board of Directors unanimously ordered a more powerful version defending ship just as if it were going to engage in of the Baycruz. The result was the Dranaut. Despite protests from the combat. If lined up against a ship that can fire, it must other corporations, the program was rushed to completion, and the first survive that fire (and cannot fire back). If a Planet Buster unit was of great assistance during the Pirate Rebellion of 2290. survives the combat phase, it may now attack any planet in the defender's Sphere. If there are multiple Planet Busters in an attack, they may DEATHON concentrate their fire together, or they may each target different planets. Built under a veil of secrecy at Moonwerk, Planet Buster attacks occur AFTER any attempts to capture a Planet unknown to the Earth Federation government. by the attacker. Match the Battle Number of the Planet Buster with the Standard Armament: 4 ECCL Matter Point Value of the Planet and roll the die as in ship-to-ship combat. Dissemblers and 4 Mk IV Laser Cannon. If the Planet Buster scores a hit, the Planet is destroyed. Place it in the Discard Pile. Once a Planet Buster Makes its attack (whether it Powered By : ECCL Neutron Flame Thrusters succeeds or not), it is discarded. (copied from a Martian design). Fuel Service: The Deathon was conceived by the design board of Moonwerk, and authorized as a Top Secret project by its president, Fuel is represented in the game by numbered counters. Each Fuel M.J. Ward (also the designer of the subsequently famous starship counter contains from 3 to 10 units of Fuel. Fuel must be expended for Warden, which disappeared without a trace). Moonwerk hoped ships to move and each time a ship fires its weapons. One unit of Fuel enables one ship to move through space to attack another Sphere that by building the nearly invulnerable Deathon, that the Earth (and return home). One unit of Fuel enables a ship to fire its weapons Federation would come in line with the political views of the Moon, one time in combat. and at the same time neutralize the Martian superiority in warships. No Deathon saw service before the current war. Fuel counters are kept in a player's hand until they are used. There is no "change." If a player uses a Fuel counter WHIRLER with more points than needed, the excess Fuel is lost. However, if a player has excess Fuel for an attack and The origin of the Whirlers remains a mystery to succeeds in eliminating all ships defending an opponent's this day. Two of them were discovered on the Sphere, that excess may be used to fire on a planet (see Capturing a frozen surface of Pluto by the Columbia Planet). The attacker does not discard excess Fuel until his attack is Colony when it first arrived there in 2130. completely over. Likewise, if additional Fuel is needed during an Apparently built for human-sized creatures, attack, more may be played from the hand. the Whirlers powered up and responded to the thought patterns of those who explored The defending player must also expend Fuel if his ships wish to return them. fire in combat. Service: Once the operation of the Whirler was understood, the Planets melded in a player's Sphere provide 1 Fuel per planet per Columbia Colony made good use of them in protecting their own player's turn. The attacker may use these Fuel points to move his ships, but not to fire his weapons. The defender may use his own planetary interests. Because of their Whirlers, and the remoteness of Pluto, the Fuel to return fire against attackers. Columbia Colony has achieved virtual independence. It managed to stay out of planetary affairs until the current war. If a player has no Fuel, either from Planets or numbered counters, he may not move or fire. 18 SPACE SHIPS OF THE 24TH CENTURY BASIC GAME 7 Scouts & Scouting In addition to being combat ships, Scouts are the only ships which can perform scouting missions. When a Scout is paired up against a face- down enemy ship in an opponent's Sphere, the enemy ship and both of the ships adjacent to it are revealed. If a ship revealed in this manner is not otherwise attacked during combat, it may return fire at the Scout (while the Scout may only fire on the ship against which it was paired).

STRATEGY HINT: When making an attack, send your Scouts in first to reveal enemy weak and strong points. Then pair up your remaining ships using the intelligence gained by the Scouts. Tugs & Towing Satellites do not ordinarily move. Once placed around a Sphere, they SPACE SHIPS OF THE 24TH CENTURY remain in place. However, a player may use a Tug to tow a Satellite into combat against another player. One Tug is required for each MW SCOUT Satellite to be moved. While doing so, the Tug and its tow are treated as though they were one ship. Built between 2257 & 2289 at Moonwerk, some They use one Fuel when on Phobos, the rest on the Moon. moving or firing (if any) and are considered to be one target in Standard Armament: 1 Sedgewick Laser combat. Projector (obtainable through the 2303 Edmund Scientific Catalog). To determine the combat value of a Tug and tow, total their Powered By: Avan Knuden's Rocket Gyros (vintage 2202) Battle Numbers and divide by two (round fractions up). If the Tug and tow are hit in battle, their owner Basic Thrust: 1.28 x 10 7 N. must roll a die to determine which is destroyed. If the result is an even Service: Moonwerk Scouts have been purchased by several of the number, the tow is destroyed, and the Tug may return to its owner's major corporations and Planetary Governments for the exploration of Sphere after combat (if it survives Torpedo Fire). If the result is an odd the Asteroids and in some cases, for use as police patrol vehicles. number, the Tug is destroyed. Three MW Scouts under the command of the pirate Magolo, gave a If the Tug is destroyed, the Satellite is captured by the defending good account of themselves in the 2290 rebellion on Titan. They player. It may be turned face down and melded into his Sphere after disintegrated an Earth federation Conicle, and nearly destroyed a the attacker returns home. Martio Corporation Dranaut, before they were captured. Special Events ZERSTOR There are 11 Special Events which may be used by players, usually just before combat begins. Special events are always kept in your hand Built in the late 23rd century beneath the great until played. Discard them after use. Arconos Corporation Dome on Mercury METEOR STORM (2) Standard Armament: 1 Mk III Laser Cannon Only usable by the defender. Play after the attacker (very deadly), 1 RCE-7 Energy Torpedo has declared his attack and paid his Fuel to move to your Launcher. Sphere… but before any combat. The attacker rolls a die for each attacking ship (including Planet Busters). Powered By: Arconos IV Rocket Engines (3 of them), each of which If the result is an even number, the ship may continue with the attack. produces 6.4 x 10 6 N of thrust. Developed under a Mercurian If the result is an odd number, the ship must return to its home Sphere government grant in March of 2225. immediately. 16 SPACE SHIPS OF THE 24TH CENTURY BASIC GAME 9 CARRIERS (3) ADVANCED GAME Each carrier houses a swarm of robot fighter Drones. The carrier itself has a laser combat value of 1. When Once players have mastered the mechanics of the basic game, they deployed for battle, the owning player must pay 1 fuel to will want to go on to the Advanced game. It introduces torpedo activate the weapon systems, which allows the Carrier to combat and many specialized ships which add variety (and some fire AND to create 2 to 5 drones. (The drones are the small counters additional complexity) to the game. that do not go into the Draw Deck, they are kept nearby for use Add the following pieces to the game (marked by blue nebulae): during the game). Each drone has a laser Battle Number of 1. 2 Whirlers, 1 Reflector, 2 Screen Satellites, 2 Chaff, 2 Mines, 2 Torpedo On attack, after the defender has had a chance to play Special Stations, 2 Colonies, 1 Blue Bolt, 3 Carriers, 2 Armed Merchantmen, Events, the attacking player expends one Fuel unit and rolls a die. On 4 Sailing Ships, and 2 Salvage Vessels. Place the 16 carrier Drones in a a roll of 1 to 4 he places 2 Drone Counters with his fleet. A roll of 5 or convenient place on the table for use and reuse during play. 6 = 3 Drones; a roll of 7 or 8 = 4 Drones; and on a roll of 9 or 10 he places 5 Drones with his attacking fleet. Once activated, a drone needs no additional energy to fire lasers. Any Drones that survive the Combat with Torpedoes first combat may join a planetary attack (if there is one) for no 1. The type of weapon combat described in the preceding rules was additional expenditure of Fuel. Laser Fire. In addition to laser weapons, many ships are armed with On attack, drones may be paired up with enemy ships torpedoes. Some ships and satellites are armed exclusively with and satellites. They may also be used as inferior scouts (a torpedoes. For every "T" printed on a piece, one torpedo may be Drone only sees the ship with which it was paired). fired at an enemy target. The Carrier itself may join the battle and use its 1 point 2. Torpedo Fire occurs after all Laser Fire has been completed. laser, but it exposes itself to defensive fire. Usually attacking Carriers Any ships which survive Laser Fire may fire torpedoes if they are lurk in the safe rear area with the Tanker or Salvage Ship. so armed. 3. Both players count the number of torpedoes they have available On Defense, the defending player may reveal his Carrier(s) just before (you might want to write the numbers down on a piece of paper). the attacker begins to pair his ships against the defending pieces. Although torpedo fire is simultaneous, the attacking player resolves The defending player must pay 1 Fuel to activate a Carrier (just like the all his torpedo attacks first. The defender then resolves all his attacker), and rolls a die to produce 2 to 5 Drones (see above). torpedo fire. Ships destroyed by torpedo fire are discarded. Defending Drones may stand alone around the Sphere, or they may used to screen. 4. Torpedoes are fired, one at a time, at any ship which is face up in the opposing fleet (this includes Tankers, Salvage Ships, and Screening: To screen, the Drone is placed on top of a defending Carriers that may be hiding in rear areas). A player does not have piece (no more than one Drone may be placed on top of a defend- to declare all of his targets in advance. If one ship is destroyed, he ing piece). It is always a good idea to use one Drone to screen your may shift his aim to a new target. Carrier. In the ensuing combat, the Drone must be fired upon first. If only one attacker is paired up against a piece screened by the 5. To resolve torpedo fire, both players secretly select a number on a Drone, the piece screened cannot be hurt by laser fire. If more than 10-sided die. When both have chosen a number, the dice are one attacker is paired against a screening Drone, the ship being revealed. If the numbers on the dice are the same, or within 1 of screened may be fired upon once the Drone is destroyed. Likewise, each other, the torpedo hits and the target ship is destroyed. the ship being screened by the Drone may not fire its laser at an (Note: A 10 is considered to be within 1 of the number 1, and vice attacking ship unless the screening drone is destroyed. versa.) Any other result is a miss.

Drones are returned to the drone pile after the space battle is over. EXAMPLE: Ernie is firing 2 torpedoes at Joe. On the first one, Joe chooses the number 3 and ARMED MERCHANTMEN (2) Ernie the number 5. The result is a miss. On the second torpedo, Joe chooses the These are large civilian transports converted to military number 10 (a zero on the die), and Ernie chooses the number 1. The result is a hit use. Each one has a Battle Number of 1 and they may and Joe's ship is destroyed. participate in combat if you wish. The real benefit of an 6. This procedure is followed until all the attacker's torpedoes have Armed Merchantman is that it provides 4 Fuel. To get to been fired. The defender then fires all of his torpedoes. another Sphere, of course, it must expend one Fuel to move (but that

14 ADVANCED GAME ADVANCED GAME 11 Game Components QUICK REFERENCE CHARTS Your Planet Busters game should contain the following: 4 Sphere of Influence boards 4 Folding counter racks SEQUENCE OF PLAY 4 10-sided dice 118 Large die-cut cardboard playing pieces (or counters), consisting of… 1. Put Peace Treaty in Discard Pile BASIC GAME PIECES (yellow nebula background) 2. All other counters (Basic / Advanced) become Draw Deck 9 Planets 5 Planet Busters 2 Spies (valued 1 through 9) (valued 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7) 2 Mutinies 3. Each Player draws 6 counters 9 Scouts 2 Armored Satellites 2 Sabotages 4. Players take TURNS (see Turn Order below) 9 Zerstors 1 Tanker 2 Meteor Storms 6 Conicles 1 Fuel Station 2 Revolts 5. When Draw Deck has been exhausted, 3 Baycruz 28 Fuel 1 Halley's Comet (three each valued 3 Dranauts 1 Peace Treaty refill with Discard Pile – including Peace Treaty 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 & 10; 2 Deathons five each valued 6 & 7) 6. Players continue taking Turns until Peace Treaty is drawn, 3 Tugs ending the game ADVANCED GAME PIECES (blue nebula background) 2 Chaff 2 Whirlers 4 Sailing Ships 7. The Player with the highest Planetary Value wins! 2 Mines 2 Colonies 3 Carriers 1 Blue Bolt 2 Screen Satellites 16 Drones 1 Reflector 2 Salvage Vessels (for use with Carriers) TURN ORDER 2 Torpedo Stations 2 Armed Merchant Ships 1. DRAW (2) You should also have a cloth bag to hold your Planet Busters playing pieces. 2. MELD Battle Number [ Defensive only ] The Playing Pieces Melding is optional. 2 Torpedoes The Battle Number is used when Ships meld around the Sphere; ships and/or satellites are in Planets meld inside the Sphere, face up. combat. If a Battle Number is in brackets – [ ] – it represents a DRAW 2 more for each planet defensive value only; the piece may not attack. The Special 3. ATTACK Events are explained later in the Optional (see Attack below) rules. 4. DISCARD Preparation If necessary; maximum 6 in hand Punch out all the playing pieces, being careful to set the PEACE TREATY counter to one side. The pieces with a blue nebula background are for use ATTACK with the Advanced Game. Do not use these when first learning how to play. Fold the counter racks into little fans, and attach them to the Sphere of 1. ATTACKER FUEL & SHIP ALLOCATION Influence boards. Put all the basic game pieces (except the Peace Treaty) into the cloth bag. Throughout these rules hereafter, this cloth bag will be known as 2. DEFENDER SPECIAL EVENTS the Draw Deck. Place the game box near the table and throw in the Peace Treaty. During the game, all discards and pieces used or destroyed in the 3. ASSIGN TARGETS course of play will be tossed into this box. This will be known as the Discard Pile. One attacker per target until ALL targets are attacked Each player takes a Sphere of Influence card and a rack and places it on the table in front of him. Players each roll a die. The high roll is the first player. Play will 4. DEFENDER FUEL ALLOCATION proceed clockwise around the table. Beginning with the first player, each player 5. ATTACKER SPECIAL EVENTS takes 6 counters from the Draw Deck. Place these pieces in your rack so that only you can see them. 6. SPACE COMBAT Once all players have drawn 6 counters, play is ready to begin. (see Space Combat on back cover)

2 INTRODUCTION QUICK REFERENCE 23 How to Meld After drawing, a player may meld some, all, or none of the pieces from his hand (on the rack) into his Sphere of Influence. Space Ships and Satellites are melded face down. These must be placed in a single row around the outer edge of the Sphere of Influence. Planets are melded face up in the center of the Sphere. For each planet melded, a player draws two additional pieces from the Draw Deck. Baycruz vs. Dranaut: +1 Planet Busters, Fuel counters, and Special Events are never melded. Dranaut vs. Baycruz: –1 These must be kept in a player's hand until they are used during play or discarded. BATTLE #1 Ernie's Baycruz is to fire on the Dranaut. The Dranaut’s Battle Number EXAMPLE: is 1 point higher than the Baycruz; so Ernie will add 1 to his die roll (only It is Ernie's first turn. In his hand are 2 Scouts, 1 Fuel Counter, 2 Planet Busters, and 1 hitting on a roll of 1 through 4), while Tom will subtract 1 from his die roll Planet (Mercury). On his draw he picks up another Fuel Counter and an Armored (hitting on a roll of 1 through 6). In this case Ernie rolls a 3 and Tom rolls Satellite. Ernie decides to meld Mercury, and places it face up in the center of his a 6. Both Ships are destroyed (thrown in the Discard Pile). Sphere. He now draws 2 more counters from the Draw Deck because he melded a Planet. He draws another Scout, and the Planet Saturn. Ernie now has 9 pieces in his hand. To bring this number down to 6 (to avoid discarding) he melds two of his Scouts and the Armored Satellite. He places these face down around the outer edge of his Sphere. He could also have melded Saturn and drawn 2 more pieces, but he decides to wait until later in the game to do this. Since it is the first turn of the game, no other player has anything melded, so Ernie cannot make an attack. His hand is now down to 6 pieces, so he does not need to discard. This ends his turn. Attack In his turn, a player may choose to launch an attack against the Conicle vs. Baycruz: +2 forces of ONE other player. The attack may be made with Space Scout vs. Conicle: +2 / Baycruz vs. Conicle: –2 Ships, towed Satellites and Planet Busters. Before combat, an attack begins with the following sequence… BATTLE #2 1. Attacker Fuel and Ship Allocation. For each ship sent, the attacking Tom's Conicle has a choice of targets. It can take the easy shot on the player must expend at least one unit of Fuel (this covers a round Scout (hitting on a 1 through 7) or take the difficult shot on the Baycruz trip). Once a ship reaches the defender’s Sphere, it will require (hits only on a 1, 2, or 3). Tom takes the chance and attacks the another unit of fuel in order to fire its weapons. (Exception: Planet Baycruz. He rolls a 0 and misses. Ernie's Scout needs a 1, 2, or 3 to hit Busters are special suicide robotic units that do not require fuel.) the Conicle, rolls a 4 and misses. Ernie's Baycruz needs a 1 through 7 to The attacker receives 1 Fuel point for each of his melded planets, hit the Conicle, rolls a 3 and the Conicle is destroyed. which may only be spent toward movement (see Fuel). He may also use one or more Fuel counters, played alongside all of his attacking ships in the center of the table, all face up. Attacking Space Ships come from those melded around the player's Sphere, but attacking Planet Busters must be played from the hand. The attacker then announces whose Sphere of Influence will be the target. 2. Defender Special Events. The defending player may play any of his Special Events against the attacking fleet. (Mutiny, Sabotage, Halley's Comet or Meteor Storm are all useful.) The defender may Zerstor vs. Tug: 0 not meld any additional ships or satellites into his Sphere at this time. BATTLE #3 3. Attacker Firing Assignments. The attacker now places his ships, one The Tug cannot fire. The Battle Number of the Zerstor is equal to the at a time, next to each of the defender’s face-down counters. As (defensive only) Battle Number of the Tug. The Zerstor thus needs a they are paired up, each defender is turned over to reveal its 1 through 5 to score a hit. Ernie rolls a 4 and the Tug is destroyed. strength (see Scouts & Scouting). Once any two ships are paired up,

4 BASIC GAME EXAMPLE OF COMBAT 21 3. The combat die roll is MODIFIED by the difference between the Battle Number of the firing ship and the Battle Number of the target. If the ship that is firing has a higher Battle Number than its target, the difference is subtracted from the die roll. If the target’s Battle Number is higher, the difference is added to the die roll. 4. No matter how great the modification to the die roll, rolling "1" is always a hit (target destroyed), while rolling "0" (ten) is always a miss. Thus, even a lowly Scout can wipe out the mighty Deathon. 5. Combat is simultaneous. If a ship is destroyed in a battle, it still gets to fire before it is removed from play. 6. The defending player may choose his target if one of his pieces is MAJOR POWERS OF 2305 attacked by more than one ship. 7. Once all battles have been resolved, if there are still surviving Martio Corporation defenders then the attack is over and all attacking ships must Government of Mars and its moons: most powerful force in the return to their home Sphere. All expended Fuel and any ships asteroids; rulers of Titan; makers of the Blue Bolt, Baycruz, and destroyed in combat are tossed in the Discard Pile. Dranaut. Capturing a Planet Earth Federation 1. If the attacker eliminates all ships and satellites around Reformed government of Earth and the Moon, somewhat weak the defender's Sphere - or, if in the fact that it does not have total control of its component there were none to begin factions; manufacturers of the MW Scout, the Conicle, and with - he may attempt to secret constructors of the Deathon (a project of Moonwerk). capture ONE planet from within the defender's Arconos Corporation Sphere. Each ship in the The powerful holders of all the domed cities of Mercury, where attack on the planet may roll once against the target the Zerstor is manufactured. planet (provided that 1 Fuel is spent for each attack). Beta Colony of Venus 2. If the attacker had allocated Fuel that was not expended in The great orbiting stations of Venus were banded together Combat, he may use that Fuel now; or he may play Fuel from under the iron hand of Emperor Napoleon of Beta Colony in his hand if necessary. Every attack, whether against a ship or a the mid 22nd century, and have been a menace to all other planet, costs 1 Fuel per ship. organized governments in the solar system ever since. 3. Match the Battle Number(s) of the firing ship(s) with the point value of the target planet… just as in ship-to-ship combat. Planets do not The Asteroid Pirates fire back! If a hit is scored on the planet, it is captured rather than At various times during the exploration and exploitation of the destroyed. Asteroids, bands of unincorporated squatters have occupied 4. A captured planet is immediately placed in the attacker's Sphere lesser known regions of the Belt. Though the major corporate of Influence. Only ONE planet may be captured by a player in a governments seek to eradicate such states, the sheer size of the turn. Once any planet is captured, the battle ends. Belt serves to make such efforts difficult, if not impossible.

6 BASIC GAME MAJOR POWERS OF 2305 19 The Tanker & the Fuel Station Basic Thrust: 1.92 x 10 7 N. One Tanker (a ship) and one Fuel Station are among the playing pieces. Service: Zerstors were built in response to the attempted occupation When melded around a player's Sphere, they provide of Mercury by the right-wing government of Beta Colony at Venus. an unlimited supply of fuel. On defense, a Tanker or The Arconos Corporation judged that their fleet of MW Scouts was Fuel Station must be revealed (turned face up) if it is inadequate for the job of both police patrol and border protection. to provide Fuel for defensive fire. If not revealed by None have been used in combat, but their mere existence has so far the attacker’s ships, the defender must reveal it him- kept the peace around the inner circle. self if he wishes to use it. (In the Advanced Game this makes Tankers vulnerable to torpedo attack.) A Tanker may provide Fuel even if it is being fired upon by enemy ships. A Tanker CONICLE has a defensive value of (1) and may not attack. Built at Moonwerk for the United Earth Federation from 2280 to the present, in answer A Tanker may move with an attacking to the Arconos Zerstor of Mercury. fleet and thereby provide all the fuel needed for that fleet to move and fire Standard Armament: 1 Mk IV Laser Cannon weapons. It need not be paired up against (modified). an enemy ship (it may lurk in the rear area - but in the Advanced Game it is vulnerable to Powered by : 2 hybrid Avan Knuden gyros in parallel. torpedo attack). Basic Thrust: 2.05 x 10 7 N. A Fuel Station may provide fuel for Service: The Conicle was an inevitable development in the ongoing defense, and may also provide all fuel arms race that existed in the 22nd century. Once the Arconos necessary to move ships to attack Corporation had the Zerstor, the Earth Government demanded a an opponent's Sphere. However, it more powerful ship, and the Conicle was the result. Conicles were first may not provide fuel for firing used in anger during the Titan rebellion, where a design flaw was weapons in another player's Sphere, quickly discovered after pirates destroyed the Governor General's unless it is towed into battle by a Tug, in flagship. Recent models feature an improved shield, and better which case it functions as a Tanker (the damage control procedures. The most recent have served as the Tug-and-tow lurk in the rear). standard escort on all ore shipments from the Asteroids to Earth. If a Tanker or a towed Fuel Station is turned back by the Meteor Storm, the attacker must BAYCRUZ pay one or more Fuel counters from his hand to fire his ships’ Built from 2280 to the present, at the two weapons. major shipyards on Phobos and Deimos. Rearranging Ships Around the Sphere Standard Armament: 2 Mk III Laser Cannon Once ships and satellites have been melded around the edge of a and 1 Mk IV Laser Cannon (none fitted with player's Sphere, they may never be returned to the player's hand. torpedoes). Ships and satellites are normally kept face down (certain pieces in the Powered by: Systvyent AR-3 Gravity Disrupters (Martian design). Advanced Game are required to be turned face up), and their Basic Thrust: 3.62 x 10 7 N. positions are known only to the owning player, who may rearrange them at any time, EXCEPT after another player has declared an Service: Martio Corporation began construction of the Baycruz attack against him. After combat, both players involved may turn once their role as the major protector of law and order in the Belt whatever ships they wish face down, and place them in any order was clearly established by the Peace of Olympus (2279), which desired along their Sphere’s perimeter. ended the Fourth Solar War. Handy vessels, they are admired most A player may also keep his ships and satellites face up, just to scare for their high speed, dependable engines and roomy crew spaces. others… it's optional.

8 BASIC GAME SPACE SHIPS OF THE 24TH CENTURY 17 HALLEY'S COMET (1) could come from other sources, like a Planet, or a Fuel Station). On This cosmological event causes such a stir that all defense, the defending player may choose to reveal his Armed attackers must return to their home Sphere for further Merchantman to provide Fuel for defensive fire (he may do this at any orders. Only usable by the defender. Play this after the time the Fuel is needed). attacker has declared his attack and paid his Fuel SALVAGE VESSEL (2) to move to your Sphere… but before any combat. The attacking These magnificent units do yeoman work for space fleets. player's turn is over. They have no attack value but they more than earn their keep. When a Salvage Vessel is present at a space SABOTAGE (2) combat, do not throw casualties immediately into the Your agents have slipped into the opponent's fleet and Discard Pile. Keep destroyed ships in a convenient location until the will try to destroy the enemy ship of your choice. Usable combat is over. If a Salvage Ship survives the battle, its owner may by both players. The defender must play Sabotage take any one ship that was destroyed in the recent combat and add before ships are paired up for combat. The attacker may it to the ships in his Sphere. not play Sabotage until all ships have been paired up and combat is about to begin. Roll a die. If the result is an even number the attempt If opposing Salvage Vessels survive the combat, and they both want fails. If the result is an odd number, the enemy ship is immediately to claim the same wreck, the players dice for the prize. High roll gets destroyed (place in Discard Pile). the salvaged ship, the loser goes home empty. SAILING SHIPS (4) MUTINY (2) These highly prized vessels use solar sails to gather Angry hotheads attempt to take over the enemy ship of energy and do not require fuel to move or fire. However, your choice. Usable by both players. The defender must their lower speed makes them easy targets for other play Mutiny before ships are paired up for combat. The ships. When anything but another Sailing Ship fires a laser attacker may not play Mutiny until all ships have been at a Sailing Ship, the Sailing Ship does not get to return fire unless it paired up and combat is about to begin. Roll a die. If the result is an survives the attack. even number the attempt fails. If the result is an odd number, the enemy ship immediately leaves its former fleet and hides out in a safe place until after the current space battle. When all combat is over, it goes to the Sphere of its new owner.

SPY (2) CREDITS Only usable by the attacker. Prior to launching your attack (or paying any Fuel), your spy sends you his report Game Design: Tom Wham and James M. Ward on the enemy fleet. Roll a 10-sided die. The result is the Original Art: Tom Wham number of your opponent's ships which you may turn face up before going in to attack. Any enemy ships revealed by the Additional Art & Graphic Design: Alvin Helms Spy that are not attacked are turned face down before the combat begins. Production: Troll Lord

REVOLT (2) Venerable aid: Your 5th column has fomented a rebellion on the enemy Rodney Anderson, Nikki Beckman, Mike Bell, Tom Christiansen, planet of your choice. Only usable by the attacking player, prior to launching an attack. Roll a die. If the result Crazy Don Dillulo, John Danovich, Olliver J. Dragon, is an even number, the Revolt fails. If the result is an odd Ernie Gygax, Rob Kuntz, George Marino, Marc Mohan, number, the Revolt succeeds. After all combat in your turn is over, Will Niebling, John O'Neill, Roger Raupp, Gali Sanchez, take the Planet and place it in your Sphere of Influence. A Revolt is Craig Schumacher, Eric Shook, Marty Smith… considered part of your attack phase. You may not play a Revolt on and somebody's son, Donald C. Wham… one player and then attack another player. However, you may play a Revolt and make no further attack. and somebody's brother, Robert P. Wham.

10 BASIC GAME ADVANCED GAME 15 7. Each attack in the advanced game consist of one round Laser Fire Planet Busters penetrate the force field of a Screen Satellite, but once followed by one round of Torpedo Fire. If all defending ships around inside, are subject to defensive fire (if they are paired against firing a Sphere are destroyed, torpedoes attack a planet in the same defending ships). manner as they would a ship. However, only one Planet can be to object of an attack, and if a planet is captured during planetary CHAFF (2) laser fire, torpedo fire against that planet is ignored. Playable (from the hand) by the defender only after all ships have been paired up and just prior to laser combat. Tiny particles of a strange substance are Advanced Game Pieces ejected into the combat area, stopping all Laser Fire for this battle (and causing all spent Fuel to be wasted). Chaff has no WHIRLER (2) effect on Torpedo Fire. This ship is able to make four separate attacks while consuming only one unit of Fuel. The decreasing numbers MINES (2) (4, 3, 2, & 1) indicate the Battle Numbers under which These are melded (face down) around your Sphere of these attacks must be made. The Whirler may only fire at Influence as though they were a Space Ship or Satellite. ships with which it has been paired. At all times, the Whirler has a They never leave the Sphere. Any attacking ship paired defensive value of (4). against mines must test for their effect. Test for mines before you begin Laser Fire, but after all ships have been paired up for REFLECTOR (1) combat. Mines are not affected by Chaff or the force field from a This ship carries a giant parabolic dish with which it Screen Satellite. To test for mines, the attacking player rolls a die three reflects all lasers that are fired in its direction. A ship which times. If any result was an odd number, the ship is destroyed. Mines are fires its laser at a Reflector also fires at itself (a 1 through 5 discarded after they have been encountered. being a hit). The Reflector can be destroyed by laser fire as it has a defensive value of (6). One die roll determines the fate of TORPEDO STATIONS (2) the firing ship and the Reflector. Most ships that would destroy the These are normal satellites (they cannot move on their Reflector will end up destroying themselves as well. own) with no laser capability. They do, however carry two torpedoes each. They may be towed to an attack EXAMPLE: by a Tug. A Scout is firing at a Reflector. The Scout's Battle Number is 5 less than that of the Reflector, so it can only destroy the Reflector on a roll of 1. It will, however be COLONIES (2) destroyed by its own reflected beam if it rolls a 5 or less. Columbia (8) and Beta (7) colonies are immense SCREEN SATELLITE (2) orbiting self-sustaining colonies. They are too large to This device creates a strong force field around a player's tow to battle and must remain in orbit around the Sphere. This force field is only in effect if the Screen Sphere in which they were placed. Colonies are always Satellite is face up. The owning player may choose to melded face up around the Sphere. They have no laser keep this piece face up, ensuring that it will function, or defenses but each is armed with two torpedoes. No he may keep it face down to provide the attacker with a rude surprise colony may be attacked until all other ships and if it should be revealed by an attacking ship. While the force field of satellites in orbit around a defender's Sphere have been the face up Screen Satellite is in effect, NO LASER FIRE is allowed to paired up. Colonies are so large that Planet Busters pass through. mistake them for planets. Any Planet Buster paired against a colony must attempt to destroy it (and if it fails, it is An attacker may pair up attacks against other targets at the same discarded). Colonies do not produce Fuel like Planets. time as he attacks the Screen Satellite. Only the ship (or ships) paired against the Screen Satellite may fire at the Screen Satellite. The Colony Bonus: For each colony that a player has face-up at the Remember, an attacker may not double up against a defender until beginning of his turn, he may draw one extra piece from the Deck. at least one ship is paired against all other defenders. If the Screen A player with two melded colonies would draw four pieces from the Satellite is destroyed, all other attacks may then be made. If not, laser Deck at the beginning of his turn. combat is over, and all Fuel allocated for the combat is wasted. THE BLUE BOLT (1) The force field of a Screen Satellite has no effect on torpedoes. This is a high-speed personal yacht, equipped only with Torpedo attacks may still continue normally. two torpedoes. It does not get to fire in laser combat.

12 ADVANCED GAME ADVANCED GAME 13