Starship Design System

And House Rules for use with

The Babylon Project; Earth Force Source Book

 

Rev: 5.1, 08/17/2001

 

Introduction

 

            Gamers being who they are cannot resist playing with the rules. What follows is my attempt to allow the creation of new designs to match ships seen in the show. It also provides a points schedule to allow the creation of balanced game fleets, for those that want use this material as a stand-alone miniatures game.

            These rules were originally developed for my own use. The intent was to create a design framework that accounted for the published ship designs and allowed for the creation of new ships as seen in the show. With these materials, I hope to offer a wide range of balanced games for convention play.

            I would like to thank Jeff Hiatt and Aaron Newman for their valued input. I owe them a great deal for their time and effort. All the mistakes are my own.

 

Revision Notes

 

            The level 2.0 revision changes the ships systems point schedule and accounts for revised ship control sheets. Beam battery and level 4 pulse battery costs were lowered while the beam capacitor cost was raised. The cost of missiles and Minbari jamming systems were also raised.  These revisions are a result of game play at the 1999 Gateway gaming convention.

            Level 2.1 revision changes mass and points value for the Raider Battlewagon. This reflects changes in the ship control sheet to match details on the AoG miniature.

            Level 2.2 changed name of Drazi Warbird to Strikehawk. Added new entry for smaller Drazi ship now called a Warbird.

            Level 2.3 change the rules and costs for the Drazi Sky Serpent fighter and the Drazi Strikehawk cruiser.. Added rules for shuttle storage and use. Added rules and costs for armed shuttles (Minbari Flyer). Modified the point cost of the White Star and Minbari vessels to add in the cost of Minbari flyers.

            Level 3.0 Adds several house rules to account for ships and ship systems seen in the show after the games release. This revision also added Brakiri, ships to the points schedule.

            Level 3.1 revision adds the Warlock Destroyer to the New Ship Cost Table. Also added are cook off rules for damaged missile systems.

            Level 3.2 adds the civilian personal transport and civilian tanker to the new ships design listing.

            Level 4.0 Change fighter costs for the First One’s. Modify the cost for the Vorlon cruiser to allow for the new fighter costs. Add the Vree Xill and Xorr war saucers to the ship cost table. Add rules for fusion reactors. Modify the anti-fighter/pulse-1 rules and the rules for the Drazi Sky Serpent. Added the Narn Ja’Stat Starbase to the cost table.

            Level 4.1 Changed the cost of the Vree ships.

            Level 4.2 Added First One Beam Capacitors. Added costs for Shadow units to the new ships table.  Recalculated the cost for and added more Vorlon units to the new ships table. Minor revision to Organic Armour rules.

            Level 5.0 Adds the Vorlon Planet Killer ship and rules for the Planet Cracker beam.

            Level 5.1 Adds the Ipsha War Sphere to the new ships table. Also added was the Ipsha Shield Generator rules, cost and mass. Increased the cost of all fighters to reflect effectiveness in actual game play. Recalculated the cost of all ships carrying fighters. Modified the Drazi Sky Serpent fighter rules. Last, I did some minor reformatting of these rules to make things easier to find.

 

Ship Construction Rules

Types of Hulls:

            Star ships are very large. Only a small percentage of the ships’ hull may be used for weapons and armor. Drive systems, crew areas and environmental control systems take up the rest. In game terms this means that a ship's mass is twice its damage points.

            Ship hulls come in two types. Those with jump drives and those without. The costs in points for these two types of hulls are listed below. Hulls with jump drives may use up to 50% of their mass for ships' systems. Non-jump capable hulls may use up to 75% of their mass for ships' systems.

            Some ships are capable of entering an atmosphere. There is no additional mass or point cost required for this ability, as it has no value towards space combat. It is shown as two system icons for purposes of damage allocation. Its only value is toward determining success off mission objectives. A ship with both atmospheric capability icons destroyed, will not survive atmospheric re-entry.

Drive Systems:

            Drive system icons are not actual ships' systems, but rather an indicator of a ship total drive thrust rating. Drive systems do not take mass away from other ships' systems. Each drive icon represents two points of thrust. See the Earth Force Source Book for an explanation of drive types.

 

Vree Drive Systems:

            The Vree have very nimble ships. They do not use Gravimetric drives, but instead use reaction drives with an ingenious system of vents to redirect the thrust in any direction they want. In this way maneuvering thrust is equal to the main drive thrust. Due to the fact, that all weapons firing in all four arcs, there is no need to rotate the ship. All maneuvering orders should be written as a push to one of the twelve clock positions. Because a saucer shaped ship has no front, back or sides, for order writing purposes, 12 o’clock is always the current course.

 

Fusion Reactor:

The primary power source on space stations used by most races, which do not have artificial gravity, is a fusion reactor. The reactor is used to power weapon systems and the station's defense grid in the absence of reaction drives. Reactors are not without their vulnerabilities. If the reactor fails a threshold check it’s power output is greatly reduced. In game terms this means that beam capacitors may not be recharged. In addition a unit with a damaged reactor may not fire energy mines, class 3 or class 4 pulse batteries. If the reactor fails a second threshold check, immediately roll an additional check at the same level. If this additional check is made, then the crew, have safely shut down the reactor. The station may no longer fire weapons of any type, but may launch or recover fighters and other craft. If however this check is failed, the reactor goes critical, destroying the entire station! In fact the detonation is severe enough to cause damage to other ships in the vicinity, exactly as if an energy mine had been detonated. The reactor may be shut down automatically by writing orders to do so, however; it may not be reactivated during the game. A shutdown reactor does not need to make threshold checks.

 

Ships Systems

Fire Control:

            The fire control system allows for the targeting of weapons. These come included in the hull cost as follows. Civilian hulls, transports and ships up to a mass of forty, come with one fire control system. Military hulls greater than mass forty come with two fire control systems included in the hull cost. Additional fire control systems may be added for the point cost shown below. Note: all Raider hulls are treated as civilian hulls for purposes of fire control cost calculations

First One Fire Control:

             Minbari jamming systems do not affect the fire control systems of the First Ones.

 

First One Beam Capacitors

             The Beam Capacitors of the First Ones are even more advanced then those of the Minbari. They are larger and can recharge at a faster rate. First Ones role 3d6 during the beam recharge phase of the turn. The dice scores are resolved the same as for the younger races, the First Ones just get more dice.

Pulse-1 Batteries:

A number of ships are armed exclusively with pulse-1 batteries, particularly smaller transports and support vessels. As the rules stand these ships are completely defenseless against fighters. This additional rule allows pulse-1 batteries to be used in a limited anti-fighter role. Remember that the pulse-1 batteries do not have the dedicated fire control and IFF systems that anti-fighter batteries do, but are otherwise similarly sized pulse weapons. During the normal firing phase, a ship may chose to use any of its pulse-1 batteries against fighters within their arcs and range instead of targeting capital ships. This means that all attacking fighters will have already fired on the active ship. A fire control system must be dedicated for each pulse-1 battery which is attempting to fire on fighters. The exception is the Vree Shreader. All the pulse batteries in the shreader must fire at a single fighter group and only use a single fire control system. Roll 1d6 for each battery fired, on a roll of 1-3 there is no effect, on a 4 or 5 one fighter is destroyed, and on a 6 two fighters are destroyed. Obviously this method is not as effective as a dedicated anti-fighter battery, but gives smaller ships something to do other than suck it like a man. Larger capital ships will usually need all of their fire controls to target other capital ships, sticking to their real anti-fighter batteries. This original version of this rule was created by Aaron Newman and may be found with more house rules on his web page.

Missile Systems:

        Missile launches must be recorded in the orders for the turn (LM followed by the number of missile salvos). Launching any number of missile salvos requires the use of 1 fire control, which may not be used later in the turn. Each launcher may only fire one salvo each turn until it runs out of salvos. After launch the missiles no longer require any input from the ship's fire control (or the ship itself). They may attack any capital ships identified as enemy at the time of firing. Missiles may not be launched at fighter groups or other missiles.
        Each missile salvo contains a number of individual missiles which move together like a fighter group. Missiles are fired at the end of the ship movement phase, but before fighters, and must move a minimum of 10 MU directly away from the firing vessel in the launcher's arc, before they can engage targets with their remaining movement. If a missile group does not attack a target the turn it is launched, it remains and may make additional maneuvers at the end of the ship movement phase each turn until the group attacks, is destroyed, or runs out of fuel. Missiles must move in a straight line along their heading each turn until they run out of fuel. They may make a single turn at any point in their movement (the number of course points depends on the missile class).
        Missile attacks are resolved exactly as if they were a fighter attack, when the ship they are attacking (or the fighter group attacking them) is declared the active ship. Both fighters and anti-fighter batteries may engage missile groups as if they were fighters. Batteries and screening fighters may chose to fire on a single attacking missile salvo instead of a fighter group. Fighters not on screening duty may move to attack missiles as if they were enemy fighter squadrons. Surviving missile salvos impact the target ship, inflicting a number of die of damage for each missile. This damage and any resulting damage related rolls are resolved at the same point in the turn as fighter damage. Obviously all missiles are destroyed when they attack a ship. Jammers affect missiles the same as attacking fighter groups, missiles that do not successfully attack the jamming ship are destroyed.
        Each missile launcher only holds a number of missiles ready for use in combat. Missile launchers are divided into classes similar to pulse batteries, the particulars of each class are detailed in the following chart. Higher classes of missile launchers fire larger missiles, which have larger warheads and more fuel, increasing both range and damage. However this decreases the missile's acceleration and maneuverability due to the increased weight, and fewer missiles can be fired in a single salvo. The missile icon has ammo circles indicating the number of salvos (same as on the energy mine launcher), cross out the ammo counters as they are used. Missile rules were first created by Jeff Hiatt and modified by Aaron Newman.
 

Missile Table

Class	Movement	Turn	Missiles/Salvo	Damage	Duration	Attacked as	Salvos/Launcher
1	40	4 points	6	1d6	2 turns	Mimbari. Fighter	3
2	30	3 points	3	2d6	3 turns	Starfury Fighter	3
3	20	2 points	2	3d6	4 turns	Narn/Centauri   Fighter	3

Damage to Missile Systems:

Hits to missile launchers are very destructive to ships if there are missiles to still in the launchers. When a missile launcher is hit there is a chance that the missiles in the launcher will cook off and explode. When the launcher is hit it is destroyed. Roll 1d6 to determine how many of the missiles cook off. See Chart below for results.

Cook off Damage Chart

Energy Shield Generator:

A technology originally developed by the Ipsha to defend their colonies from attack, it was later miniaturized and mounted on their starships as well. The shield projects an electrostatic field around the vessel it protects, which deflects charged particles away from the vessel. It is effective against most pulse weapons (which typically fire plasma or accelerated, charged particles), and beam weapons, though it has no affect on missiles, energy mines or collisions. The shielding system is not perfectly effective, particularly powerful or accurate pulse fire may penetrate the shield, and beam weapons will usually penetrate, though reduced in force. For each working shield generator on a vessel, reduce the effects of pulse fire (and beam fire from fighters) as if the ship had an equivalent number of interceptors in each arc. Additionally each die of beam damage is reduced by one point. However, the same restrictions apply to fire FROM the target ship, since the shield works both ways. If the protected ship is firing against a target, which is also protected by interceptors, add their effects in the standard manner. A ship with shield generators must designate in the orders phase weather the shields are up or down, but need not tell other players until fire is actually directed at or from the ship. This rule was created by Aaron Newman and may be found with more house rules on his web page.

Organic Armor:

        Organic armor is the primary defensive system of the oldest races, most notably the Vorlons and Shadows, though hybrid ships belonging to the younger races have also used this technology. Ships constructed with organic armor are able to absorb or repair enormous amounts of damage. Organic armor is not represented by a ship icon, and cannot be destroyed as a system, as it is a part of the ship's hull. For each level of organic armor the ship has, it is protected as if it had a level of interceptors in each arc (which are effective against all fighters, regardless of weapon type). Additionally each level of organic armor reduces damage from sources such as beam weapons, energy mines and missiles by 1 point for each die (however each individual die can never do less than 0 damage). Several people have posted ship designs and rule for organic or Vorlon learning skin armor. This rule was adapted from a rule created by Aaron Newman that may be found with more house rules on his web page.

Vortex Collapser:

        The vortex collapser is a weapon developed by the shadows to interfere with the jump points created by the younger races, and even the Vorlons, who use normal jump points. The Vortex collapser fires a charge of energy into an active jump point, destabilizing the vortex and causing the jump point to collapse. Any vessels unfortunate enough to be caught in the vortex at this point will most likely be destroyed. To use the weapon, orders must be given to fire it (use LVC or something similar). At the beginning of the movement phase (same point as when energy mines are placed) it may fire on any jump point within the vessels forward arc and at a distance of 20 MU or less. The jump point will immediately begin to collapse, and any ships entering the vortex this turn, must roll to survive a collapsing jump point as normal. At the end of the turn the jump point dissappears. The feedback caused by disrupting the jump point in this manner affects the ship (or jump gate) in the same maner as if a ship traversing the gate was damaged. The damage inflicted on the ship which created the jump point is 1d6. . This rule was adapted from a rule created by Aaron Newman that may be found with more house rules on his web page.

 

Vorlon Planet Killer and the Planet Cracker Beam:

The Vorlon Planet Cracker Beam is not so much a weapon mounted on a ship, but rather a ship built around a weapon. This weapon can only be found on Vorlon Planet Killer ships, of which there were only three ever built. The Planet Cracker Beam may not be used on any target less then planet sized. As such it has no value in fleet to fleet combat. So no mass figures or point costs are listed in these rules. As for the Vorlon Planet killer ship, the cost listed reflects it’s cost as a fleet unit based on its defensive systems. However, I recommend against using this cost in balancing fleets. This ship is a scenario objective in and of it’s self. I would recommend using half of its cost when balancing fleets.

            The Planet Cracker beam has a few special rules. The Planet Cracker has a range of six. The Planet Cracker can only be fire after three full turns of no other energy use. That means no movement or recharging of the beam capacitor. However, the Planet Killer may fire any of its beam batteries so long as energy remains in the beam capacitor. The Planet Killer may also use its beam batteries in anti-fighter mode. The Planet Cracker is fired before the movement phase of the forth turn. The target planet is destroyed instantly if it is in range. The Planet Cracker Beam system is disabled after failing three threshold damage checks.

 

Fighters and Small craft

E.A. Thunderbolt:

            Since the original rules were written, the Earth Force Thunderbolt fighter has appeared in the show. In addition, Agents of Gaming has release a miniature for the Thunderbolt. This fighter can carry heavy ordinance for ground and anti shipping attacks. Only Omega Destroyers, Advanced Destroyers (both the Shadow Omega and Warlock) and the Interstellar Alliance Victory class Destroyer (which is designed to carry the fighters of all member races) may carry Thunderbolt fighters.

 Thunderbolts must declare that they are carrying ordinance at the time of launch. A Thunderbolt carrying ordinance, dog fights using the Raider/Narn/Centauri column of the fighter combat table. Thunderbolts without ordinance dog fight using the Starfury column of the table. Movement rules are also per the fighter types above, depending on the presence of ordinance.

 A Thunderbolt fight group may dispose of ordinance in two ways. At the beginning of the fighter movement phase, the controlling play may declare that the ordinance is being jettisoned. The second option is to make a missile run on an enemy ship. To do so, the controlling player must declare a missile run when fighter attacks are declared. Any fighters that survive the anti fighter measures then roll 2D6 for their attack and apply the results as normal. Interceptors may be used as normal to stop these attacks. Once A Thunderbolt group has spent its ordinance, it must be recovered and rearmed, before it may do so again. In order for the fighter group to be rearmed, it must spend two complete turns in the hanger.

The rules for the Thunderbolt fighter are adapted from those created by Aaron Newman, found on the web at http://geocities.datacellar.net/Area51/Vault/6990/b5.html

E.A. Badger Starfury: (replaces rules in EFSB)

            Prior to the introduction of the Thunderbolt, the Earth Alliance filled the roll of a heavy fighter with the Badger Starfury. These rules are the only ones in this document that change a rule found within the Earth Force Source Book. The Badger is a heavy two-seat fighter featuring a tail gun turret. Only the older Hyperion cruisers and Nova Dreadnoughts may carry the Badger. A Badger fighter group moves and attacks other fighter groups as if it were a Raider/Narn/Centauri fighter group. Enemy fighter groups attacking a Badger group roll on the fighter combat table, as if they were targeting a normal Starfury. If more than one fighter group engages a Badger fighter group, the Badger group may by virtue of its tail guns, fire at a second enemy group. If a Badger fighter group chooses to avoid an engagement, it may fire back at one engaging group with its tail guns. Using the above rule, a Badger fighter group may avoid a fighter screen when attacking a capital ship. However, all fighter losses are taken before the Badger fighter group may fire on the screened ship. Badger heavy fighters carry only limited external ordinance and gain no bonus when attacking a capital ship. When a Badger fighter group is acting as a fighter screen. It may only tie up a single attacking fighter group. The screening Badgers may, however; use its tail gun to fire on a second attacking fighter group, so long as it is attacking in the same arc of the screened ship. Fighter losses are taken before the attacking fighter may fire on the screened ship.

Drazi Sky Serpent:

In November of 1999 Agents of Gaming released miniatures for Drazi capital ships as well as the Sky Serpent strike fighter. To date, the only Drazi fighter I have seen on the show was the one that Marcus used to reach Babylon 5. This was a single fighter launched from the back of a cruiser. It would seem from this single scene, as opposed to total number of Drazi combat scenes, that the Drazi do not use fighters much. It would also follow that the Sky Serpent is a long-range heavy fighter. In use the Sky Serpent should move and dog fight as per the rules for Raider/Narn/Centauri Fighters. Except as a heavy fighter the Sky Serpent is destroyed for after two hits (rounded down) during dogfights and anti fighter measures.

Drazi Sky Serpent fighters may form up in groups of up to six fighters, after lunch or act as solo units. The formation or break up of fighter groups must be announced during the fighter movement phase. To form up, the owning player must announce the intention to form up and then move the fighters together one at a time until a maximum of six fighters are in the group. The form up location must be within the movement range of all the fighters in the group. Fighter group break up is announced at the start of the fighter movement phase prior to any fighters moving. Enemy fighters and anti fighter measures must deal with single Sky Serpents as if they were a complete fighter group.  Drazi ships engaged in combat may not recover Sky Serpent fighters.

Vorlon Heavy Fighters:

Vorlon Fighters are the most powerful in game terms. They move and dog fight as tough they were Minbari fighters. However, against capital ships they roll two dice instead of one. They use beam type weapons that are not affected by interceptor fire. Last, the Vorlons place a high value on their pilots. So Vorlon fighters are protected with Organic Armor. This results in a heavy fighter with only one fighter destroyed for every two hits (rounded down) during dogfights and anti fighter measures. Outside of game terms, destroyed Vorlon fighters always eject the pilot allowing he/she/it to be recovered by surviving Vorlon units after the battle.

 

Shadow Light Fighters:

Shadows use light unmanned organic drone fighters. A shadow cruiser or carrier grows these fighters. Due to the time it takes to grow fighters, only those shown on the ship control sheet may be used in any given battle. Between battles a Shadow vessel may re-grow lost fighters. Shadow fighters move and dog fight as tough they were Minbari fighters. However, against capital ships they roll two dice instead of one. Shadow Fighters use a pulse type weapon that may be affected by interceptor fire. As Shadow fighters are considered expendable, they do not have the heavy organic armor of their Vorlon counter parts. Thus they are destroyed ass per the normal rules.

 

Revised Fighter Combat Table

 

**: Only one Vorlon Fighter for every two hits (rounded down) is killed.

  *: Scores two kills and the dice is re-rolled.

 

Fighter Screens:
            In addition to being able to screen capital ships, fighters may be used to screen other fighter squadrons. All of the normal rules for fighter screens apply; attacking fighters must attack the screening fighters first. This practice is used in real life and fiction quite often where a more experienced fighter group (ace squadron) protects a green squadron; or an air intercept group (starfuries) rides escort for a bombing force (thunderbolts). It can also be used to allow a fresh group to keep enemy fighters from finishing off a heavily hit squadron. Fighters screening capital ships cannot themselves have a protective screen. Likewise fighter groups may not mutually screen each other. Capital ships may, as always, engage any group(s) they chose, regardless of any fighters screening them. This rule was created by Aaron Newman and may be found with more house rules on his web page.

Shuttles:

            Any capital ship with a launch bay may carry shuttles. Each launch bay may hold up to four shuttles at one time. However, ships only carry a standard compliment of two shuttles per launch bay. This allows room for the docking of visiting shuttles. Un-armed shuttles are included in the cost of the launch bay and ships hull, armed shuttles cost extra. Minbari vessels and White Stars carry the Minbari flayer, which is an armed shuttle. Earth force vessels only carry un-armed shuttles. Each EA launch bay carries a personnel shuttle and an atmospheric shuttle as the standard compliment. Centauri vessels are equipped in the same fashion. At this time we have not seen Narn or raider shuttles. I assume the Narn and the raiders use the same basic shuttle types as the EA and the Centauri. Shuttles are launched and recovered using the fighter rules. Each fighter launched or recovered counts the same as one fighter group towards a launch bays capacity.

Ships Systems Mass and Point Schedule

 

EFSB Ship Costs

 

            Using the table above I have calculated the costs of the ships found in the Earth Force Source Book. However, two discrepancies crop up. The first is The Centauri Primus Battle Cruiser. This ship works out with a mass of one hundred based on damage points. However ships' systems add up to more than fifty percent of that mass. The ship's mass would need to be 118 to contain all of the ships' systems. The hull cost calculated in the chart below used this higher value.

The second discrepancy is in the Hyperion Cruiser. As published, this ship doesn’t have a jump drive. However, only fifty percent of the hull is used for ships' systems. Also in the Babylon Five movie, In The Beginning, we saw this ship open a jump point. So, the point cost below reflects the addition of a jump drive. Also as published the Hyperion dosen’t have any fire control icons. As per the game authors, two fire control icons have been added.

 

Ships Mass and Point Cost

Core ships from the

Earth Force Source Book

 

New Ship Designs

 

            Since the creation of the Earth Force Source Book, many new ships have appeared on the Babylon 5 TV show. Even more appeared on the short-lived Babylon 5 spin off, Crusade. The ship designs on the table that follow are intended to fill that void. Also not all ships that appear in the first season of the show appeared in the game. These ships may also be found on this table. Most of the ships listed are of my own design. So, if you think they are way off base, you know whom to blame. The EF Explorer ship was created by the game designers and was included in the Game Master Resource kit. Aaron Newman created the SCS’s for the Warlock Destroyer and Babylon 5 Station. Aaron based his Babylon 5 SCS on the design for Full Thrust created by Jerry Han.

Ships Mass and Point Cost

For New ships