0.0 Introduction ............... 3
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5

Game Components .......... 4
Glossary ........................... 5
A Brief History of
Starmada.......................... 7
Change Log...................... 8
Design Credits .................. 8

1.0 The Starship
Display Sheet .............. 9
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5

Identifying
Characteristics ................. 9
Structural
Components ..................... 9
Weapons ........................ 10
Starship Systems ........... 11
The Game Turn
Record............................ 11

2.0 Playing the Game .....12
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5

Choosing the
Scenario ......................... 12
Assembling the Fleet ...... 12
Deploying the Fleet ........ 12
The Game Turn .............. 12
Victory! ........................... 13

3.0 Movement .................15
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4

Movement Orders........... 15
Engine Requirements ..... 15
Moving on the Game
Board.............................. 16
Special Maneuvers ......... 17

4.0 Combat ......................18
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5

Declaration of Targets .... 18
The To-Hit Roll ............... 20
The Impact Roll .............. 20
The Damage Roll ........... 21
Applying Damage ........... 21

5.0 Fighters .....................22
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4

Including Fighters in a
Fleet ............................... 22
The Fighter Phase .......... 22
Fighter Movement .......... 22
Fighters in Combat ......... 23

Appendix A: Starship
Construction .............24
A.1 The Design ..................... 24
A.2 The Combat Rating ........ 26
A.3 The Starship Display
Sheet .............................. 26
A.4 Technology Levels ......... 27
A.5 Starship Systems
Table .............................. 28
A.6 Drake Notation ............... 29

Appendix B: Starship
Systems .....................30
B.1 Anti-Fighter Batteries...... 30

2

B.2
B.3
B.4
B.5
B.6
B.7
B.8
B.9
B.10
B.11
B.12
B.13
B.14
B.15
B.16
B.17
B.18
B.19
B.20
B.21
B.22
B.23
B.24

Auxiliary Services ........... 30
Boosters.......................... 31
Carrier ............................. 31
Cloaking Device .............. 31
Countermeasures ........... 32
Directional Shielding ....... 32
Fire Control ..................... 32
Flares .............................. 33
Hyperdrive ...................... 33
Ionized Hull ..................... 33
Launch Tubes ................. 33
Long Range Sensors ...... 33
Marines ........................... 34
Mines .............................. 34
Overthrusters .................. 35
Probes ............................ 35
Screens........................... 35
Shockwave ..................... 36
Shuttlecraft...................... 37
Solar Sails....................... 37
Stealth............................. 37
Stutterdrive ..................... 38
Tractor Beam .................. 38

Appendix C: Weapon
Options..................... 39
C.1
C.2
C.3
C.4
C.5

Alternate Firing Arcs ....... 39
Dual-Mode Weapons ...... 39
Multi-Weapon Mounts ..... 39
Seeking Weapons ........... 40
Weapon Traits ................ 41

Appendix D:
Movement Options .. 44
D.1
D.2
D.3
D.4
D.5
D.6
D.7
D.8
D.9

Emergency Thrust .......... 44
Etheric Drag .................... 44
Evasive Action ................ 44
Floating Game Board ...... 45
Freeform Turns ............... 45
Graded Turns .................. 46
Rolls ................................ 46
Sequential Movement ..... 46
Towing ............................ 47

Appendix E: Combat
Options..................... 48
E.1
E.2
E.3
E.4
E.5
E.6
E.7

Damage Control .............. 48
Directed Damage ............ 48
Explosions ...................... 48
Partial Victory Points ....... 49
Sequential Combat ......... 49
Shield Reinforcement...... 50
Target Acquisition ........... 50

Appendix F: Fighter
Options..................... 51
F.1
F.2
F.3
F.4

F.5 Launch & Recovery ........ 52
F.6 Long Range Fighters ...... 53
F.7 Random Fighter
Initiative .......................... 53

Appendix G: Terrain........ 54
G.1
G.2
G.3
G.4
G.5
G.6

Asteroids ........................ 54
Black Holes .................... 55
Comets ........................... 55
Nebulae .......................... 56
Planets ........................... 56
Three-Dimensional
Play ................................ 57

Appendix S: Scenarios..... 58
S.1
S.2
S.3
S.4
S.5
S.6
S.7
S.8
S.9
S.10
S.11
S.12

Alone in the Dark ............ 59
Breakout ......................... 59
The Chase ...................... 60
Fleet Action .................... 60
Hide & Seek ................... 61
Hit & Run ........................ 61
On Patrol ........................ 62
The Shakedown
Cruise ............................. 62
Storms in Space ............. 63
Tin Can Dustup .............. 63
To the Rescue ................ 64
The Trap ......................... 64

Appendix T:
Campaigns ................ 65
T.1 Objectives Campaign ..... 65
T.2 Rotating Campaign ......... 66
T.3 Tournament System ....... 66

Appendix X:
Backwards
Compatibility ............ 68
X.1 Admiralty Edition ............ 68
X.2 Nova Edition ................... 69

Appendix Z: Player
Resources.................. 71
Z.1 Designer’s Notes ............ 71
Z.2 Starmada Drydock
Instructions ..................... 73
Z.3 Consolidated Tables....... 77
Z.4 Rules Index .................... 82

The Starmada Universe ... 83
A Timeline of History ............... 83
The Terran Empire .................. 84
The Arcturan Federation ......... 88
The Negali............................... 91
The Kalaedinese Expanse ...... 93
Starship Display Sheet
Index............................... 96

Combat Space Patrol ...... 51
Dogfights......................... 51
Fighter Screens .............. 51
Fighter Variants .............. 52

MJG-0140
Version 2.0 – April 2020
Copyright ©2007-2020 Majestic Twelve Games. All rights reserved.
“Starmada,” “Unity Rulebook,” “Majestic Twelve Games,” and related indicia are trademarks of
Majestic Twelve Games
5620 Spruce Avenue
Castle Rock, CO 80104-2188
Printed in the United States of America.

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

0.0 INTRODUCTION

Starmada™ is a miniatures board game of starship
combat. At its most basic level, players take
command of space fleets in a general attempt to
reduce each other to just so much space junk. At its
most advanced, the game can be customized to
breathe life into any science fiction background
players might imagine.
Novices shouldn’t fret; the core set of rules has been
designed with ease of play in mind, accessible even
to beginners. On the other hand, seasoned veterans
should find the concise nature of the rules quite
refreshing. Starmada allows players to concentrate
on the finer points of squashing their opponent rather
than arguing over rules interpretations, without
sacrificing any of the flavor or excitement of more
complex games.
Simple, but not simplistic, is the guiding principle.
Take some time now to look over the rules, then find
an opponent, cue up your favorite sci-fi soundtrack,
and lead your Starmada to victory!

The Unity Edition
The Unity Rulebook represents what we expect will
become the definitive version of a game that has
gone through several updates over more than two
decades. In that time, players around the world have
grown to love Starmada for its shallow learning curve,
depth of experience, and ease of play, even as they
differ over which release represents the One True
Vision.
The
goal
of
this
edition,
designated
PROJECT UNITY, was to draw from the best parts of
each incarnation of the game, from the Compendium
and Starmada X, through the Admiralty Edition and
2012’s Nova Rulebook, and unify those concepts in a
way that allows experienced starship captains to
continue enjoying the game they love while drawing
new players into the fold.
Long-time players will be thrilled to learn there is no
need to convert existing starship designs to this new
edition: comprehensive rules are included which allow
players to use both Admiralty and Nova ship display
sheets with a minimum of modification.
With the release of the Unity Rulebook, we hope to
revitalize the game and introduce the thrills of tabletop
battles in deep space to a whole new generation. The
Universal Game of Starship Combat is back, and
better than ever!

Rulebook Structure
Starmada should not be seen as merely a traditional
wargame, simulating a particular battle or series of
battles against a fixed backdrop; instead, it is more of
a toolkit, with which players can build settings to
mimic their favorite movies and television shows, or
create universes of their own design, all sharing a
common rules framework. In this way, combat can be
staged not only within a given context, but between
worlds as well. Those who have always wanted to see
a Federation heavy cruiser take on an Imperial star
destroyer now have the chance!
The Starmada rulebook consists of three main
sections:
1) By way of providing a baseline from which
deviations can be measured, the first section
(chapters 1 through 5) describes the basic game
engine: what can be called “essential” Starmada
(p.9). While these rules form the core upon which
alternatives can be layered, they are not
necessarily inviolable. Many can be modified or
replaced by optional rules and additions.
2) Following the essential rules are several lettered
appendices outlining a multitude of additional
rules (p.24). Players should not see this collection
as all-inclusive, nor should it be taken as a whole.
The intent is not for players to make use of every
option (this would be impossible in any event, as
some contradict each other). Instead, if “essential”
Starmada is seen as raw material, the
appendices contain the tools with which players
can mold that material into a desired form.
3) Finally, a brief introduction to the Imperial
Starmada universe is provided, along with 30
sample starship display sheets are provided by
way of helping new players hit the ground running
(p.83).
Despite the number of optional rules and additions
available, players should not feel any obligation to
expand beyond the basics. A fully enjoyable game
can be had using nothing but “essential” Starmada,
and many players never have the urge to expand any
further. Others feel shortchanged if they aren’t making
use of every possible option.
There is nothing wrong with either approach; each
has its devotees, although most players will fall
somewhere in the middle. The reality is no game is
inherently better or worse than another: each meets
the needs of its players. Starmada is meant to
accommodate everyone.

Unity Rulebook – Version 2.0

3

0.1 Game Components
In addition to the items listed below, players will need
to provide pens or pencils and some dice. All dice
used in this game are six-sided, like those found in
family board games. It would be best to have a halfdozen or more on hand. Some optional rules require a
standard deck of playing cards.

Four of these sections fit together to complete a
standard game board, as shown below:

Many of these components can be downloaded for
free from the Majestic Twelve Games web site:
www.mj12games.com/starmada

Game Board
As with most board games, the Starmada playing
area is subdivided into spaces which regulate
movement and distances. These spaces are arranged
into a hexagonal grid; thus, each space is referred to
as a “hex”.

A larger playing surface can be obtained simply by
adding more sections. Below is a 3 × 2 game board
(measuring 32 hexes by 27 hexes):

While most any size of hex will suffice, it is
recommended players use hexes measuring between
3cm and 5cm from edge to edge (1¼” to 2”),
depending on the size of the models being used (see
below). The minimum recommended playing area is a
board 32 hexes across and 18 hexes wide.
Several manufacturers produce game boards ideal for
use with Starmada. One excellent choice would be
the felt game mats produced by Hotz ArtWorks.

Anatomy of a Hotz Mat
www.hotzmats.com
Either the full-size Hotz Mat with 2” hexes or the halfsize mat with 1½” hexes would work well for a
standard Starmada scenario (p.12).
Players without access to a suitable hexgrid will find a
sample game board section at the Majestic Twelve
Games web site. Once printed onto 11”×17” paper,
the white margins should be carefully trimmed using a
pair of scissors or hobby knife.

4

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

Alternatively, Starmada can be played on an open
tabletop (i.e. without hexes); when doing so, players
will also need to supply at least one yardstick or tape
measure. The basic rule of thumb is one hex equals a
distance of 5cm (2”) on the tabletop; this requires a
playing surface at least 100cm wide and 150cm
across (approximately 3’×5’). When measuring
distances on the tabletop, always round up to the next
“hex”; e.g. if two starships are 12cm apart, they are
considered to be at a range of 3 hexes (12cm ÷
5cm/hex = 2.4 hexes, rounded up).

Models
Each starship is represented by a model placed on
the game board. Typically, a model is a metal or resin
miniature, suitably painted and mounted on a “flying”
stand. Such figures add an important aesthetic
dimension to the game. Many different manufacturers
produce ship miniatures, some with ties to Starmada.
Visit the Majestic Twelve Games web site for more
details.

Double-sided markers are considered “face up” if the
side with a colored background is showing; if the
white background is showing, the marker is
considered “face down”.

0.2 Glossary
Miniatures by Brigade Models
www.brigademodels.co.uk
Players without access to suitable miniatures will find
a sheet of sample starship counters at the Majestic
Twelve Games web site. Once printed onto cardstock,
these counters should be carefully separated using a
pair of scissors or a hobby knife. For extra durability,
the counters may be glued onto thicker stock, such as
a cereal box or mat board, prior to being cut out.
Whatever is used, each model must have some
method of indicating its “front”; e.g. the sample
counters have a small arrow on one edge. On the
game board, models must be placed so each is
completely within a single hex and clearly facing one
of the sides.

Accuracy: The number a player needs to roll or
better on a single die in order to score a hit with a
weapon; e.g. “4+” indicates a roll of 4, 5, or 6 is
required to score a hit. Abbreviated as “ACC”.
Bank: The set of weapons within a battery which can
fire into a given firing arc (or arcs).
Battery: A group of identical weapons on a starship,
all with the same range, rate of fire, accuracy, impact,
and damage values.
Campaign: A series of linked games, in which the
outcome of one battle has a direct impact upon the
initial conditions of the next.
Class: The template to which a particular starship
conforms. Most ships are not unique designs, but one
of a number of identical (or nearly so) vessels.
Combat Rating: A number indicating a starship’s
ability to inflict and endure punishment relative to
other ships in the game. The higher this number, the
more powerful the design.
Damage: There are two meanings:
1) The number of dice a weapon uses when making
a damage roll. Abbreviated as “DMG”;
2) The effect of a damage roll on a target.

In the above example, only Ship (C) is placed
correctly. Ship (B) overlaps multiple hexes, while
Ship (A) is not clearly facing one side of the hex it
occupies.

Starship Display Sheets
In addition to the model used to represent it on the
game board, each starship has an associated starship
display sheet. This sheet contains all of the
information necessary to define the ship’s capabilities,
as well as to track damage inflicted by the enemy.
The various parts of the display sheet, and how each
impacts game play, are described in the following
chapter (p.9).

Markers
Many of the options included in this book require the
use of markers during the game. Players may use
coins, beads, rare jewels, or any other suitable items
for this purpose.
A full-color copy of this sheet of sample markers can
be downloaded from the Majestic Twelve Games web
site. Once printed onto cardstock, the sheet should be
folded as indicated (along the red line), and the two
halves glued together. Finally, the individual markers
should be carefully separated using a pair of scissors
or a hobby knife.

Damage Roll: The act of rolling dice to determine
what effect an attack has on the target.
Defensive Arc: One of four arcs surrounding a
starship which define the area covered by certain
types of defensive systems. Contrast with “firing arc”.
Defensive Rating: One component of the combat
rating; a quantification of how many points of damage,
on average, it will take to destroy the starship.
Element: A term that includes both starships and
fighter flights. It is used to avoid having the phrase
“starship and/or fighter flight” occur repeatedly
throughout these rules.
Engine Hit: A type of damage representing the loss
of engine power. When all of a starship’s engine
boxes have been checked off, it can no longer
maneuver.
Engine Rating: The amount of power provided by a
starship’s main propulsion system. Each point in the
engine rating represents enough thrust to increase or
decrease the ship’s speed by one hex per game turn.
Engine Requirement: A quantification of the amount
of energy needed from a starship’s engines in order to
complete a given set of movement orders.

Unity Rulebook – Version 2.0

5

Equipment: Starship systems that only provide
benefit while operational. Equipment can be
destroyed by damage. Contrast with “munitions” and
“traits”.
Facing: The direction in which the front of a starship
is pointed. Contrast with “heading”.
Faction: The political entity to which a side’s forces
belong. Depending on the setting in which your
games are set, a faction may represent anything from
a small mercenary cartel to a galaxy-spanning
empire.
Fighter: A small, fast attack craft used to harass
enemy starships and defend against opposing
fighters.
Fighter Capacity: A quantification of the amount of
space a starship has set aside for the storage and
maintenance of fighter flights.
Fighter Flight: A group of fighters operating as a
single unit. The terms “fighter flight” and “flight” should
be considered interchangeable.
Firing Arc: A segment of the imaginary circle
surrounding a starship which defines the direction(s)
in which a weapon can make an attack. Contrast with
“defensive arc”.
Fleet Limit: The limiting factor when assembling a
fleet for a scenario; defined as the highest allowable
total combat rating for all starships on a side.
Game Turn: The period of time during which each
phase in the sequence of play is conducted once.
Contrast with “turn”.
Game Turn Record: The bottom portion of the
starship display sheet, used to record movement
orders and other bits of information throughout the
game turn.
Heading: The direction in which an element is
moving. Contrast with “facing”.
Hull Hit: A type of damage representing the
weakening of a starship’s superstructure. When all of
a ship’s hull boxes have been checked off, it is
destroyed.
Hull Size: A quantification of the size of a starship;
the number of hull hits the ship can take before
destruction.
Impact: The number of dice a weapon uses when
making an impact roll. Abbreviated as “IMP”.
Impact Roll: The act of rolling dice to determine
whether a weapon hit is blocked by the target’s
shields.
Line of Sight: An imaginary line traced from the
center of an attacker’s hex to the center of the target
hex; used to determine if an attack is obstructed or
obscured by intervening terrain.

Movement Allowance: The maximum number of
hexes a fighter flight may move when activated.
Abbreviated as “MA”.
Movement Orders: The system of notation allowing
players to simultaneously plot where their starships
are going to move.
Munitions: Consumable starship systems which are
discarded after use. Contrast with “equipment” and
“traits”.
Offensive Rating: One component of the combat
rating; a quantification of how many points of damage,
on average, the starship can inflict in a single game
turn, weighted by an “engagement radius”.
Phase: One of several divisions in each game turn,
organized in such a way as to bring order to the
chaos of battle.
Pill Bug: Armadillidiidae is a family of woodlice, a
terrestrial crustacean group in the order Isopoda.
Unlike members of other woodlouse families,
members of this family can roll into a ball, an ability
they share with the outwardly similar but unrelated pill
millipedes and other animals. It is this ability which
gives woodlice in this family their common names of
pill bugs, roly polies, or doodle bugs. The best known
species in the family is Armadillidium vulgare, the
common pill bug.1
Pivot: A maneuver by which a starship changes its
facing by one or more hexsides while its heading
remains unaltered.
Range: There are two meanings:
1) The distance between two objects, as determined
by counting the number of hexsides crossed along
the shortest path between the two;
2) A weapon characteristic defining the distance at
which it may be used to attack a target. Range is
divided into three equal bands: short, medium,
and long. Abbreviated as “RNG”.
Rate of Fire: The number of dice a weapon uses
when making a to-hit roll. Abbreviated as “ROF”.
Scenario: A specific collection of rules for setting up
the game, the forces to be used, and conditions under
which victory may occur for either side.
Sequence of Play: The order in which the phases of
a game turn are conducted.
Shield Hit: A type of damage representing the
degradation of a starship’s shield rating. When all of a
ship’s shield boxes have been checked off, it is no
longer protected by shields (although it may possess
other forms of defense).
Shield Rating: The amount of protection provided by
a starship’s shield generators; given as a number
from 0 to 5.

Loss Limit: A restriction placed on how many
weapons from a given battery may be chosen as
losses due to damage before those from other
batteries are damaged.
Model: The playing piece representing a specific
element on the game board.

6

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

1

www.wikipedia.org. Be advised
circumstances may pill bugs wheel.

that

under

no

Side: Collectively, all of the players controlling the
starships of one faction in a game. In a two-player
game, players are considered to be “sides” unto
themselves, while multi-player games may involve
more than one player per side.

Starmada

Sideslip: A maneuver by which a starship moves
forward while “slipping” to either the left or the right.

Starmada was first posted to the rec.games.board
Usenet group on January 22, 1994, at 7:36 PM
(GMT). A search on groups.google.com should still
turn up the original posts (there were four in all). This
version was re-released as an appendix to the
Starmada X rulebook.

Speed: The number of hexes of forward movement
contained in a starship’s most recent set of movement
orders.

Extremely primitive as compared to more modern
evolutions of the game, very little of the original
Starmada has been retained over the years.

Starship: An independent space-faring vessel; the
basic combat unit in Starmada. The terms “starship”
and “ship” should be considered interchangeable.

Starmada 2.0

Starship Display Sheet: The sheet on which all of a
starship’s capabilities and weapon systems are noted.
It is also used to record damage suffered by the ship.
Starship Systems: Any apparatus or machinery
possessed by a starship which is not otherwise
represented by the basic descriptors (hull, engines,
weapons, and shields). Ship systems are subdivided
into three types: equipment, munitions, and traits.
Tiny: A tiny target is significantly smaller than even
the lightest starship; e.g. fighters, shuttlecraft, etc.
Such targets are more difficult for normal weapons to
acquire and engage.
To-Hit Roll: The act of rolling dice to determine
whether a weapon hits its intended target.
Trait: There are two meanings:
1) A type of starship system which represents an
intrinsic quality of a starship. Due to their nature,
traits are unaffected by damage. Contrast with
“equipment” and “munitions”;
2) A characteristic of a weapon that enhances or
modifies its operation within the rules.
Turn: A maneuver by which a starship alters its
heading by one hexside (60°). Contrast with “game
turn”.
U-Turn: A type of turn by which a starship reverses
course, changing its heading by three hexsides
(180°). Contrast with “game turn”.
Victory Point Target: The number of victory points
that must be scored by one side in order to win a
scenario.
Victory Points: The method by which a winner is
determined. Victory points are usually scored by
destroying enemy starships, although some scenarios
provide for different methods by which they may be
earned.
Weapon: An object mounted on a starship used to
inflict damage upon enemy ships. Each weapon is
part of a battery.
Weapon Hit: A type of damage representing the loss
of a starship’s weaponry. If the ship carries
equipment, this is also affected by weapon hits.

0.3 A Brief History of Starmada
As of 2019, Starmada is 25 years old. In that time,
the game has gone through a number of iterations.

An updated version of the rules was posted in
February 1995 on the author’s student web page
(sadly, no longer reachable) at the University of
Illinois. Many concepts from the first version were
discarded or significantly altered; the most important
change was the introduction of the shield rating.
This version still exists as a text file, and was much
more fun to play than the first: perhaps it will see the
light of day again.

Starmada 3.0
The first printed version of Starmada, this was a
“shareware” release in 1996; the rules were available
as a free download (again, from an extinct web site)
with an encouragement to “register” them by sending
$10 to the author, who would then send a hard copy
via return post. Registrations were steady despite the
poor quality of said hard copies.
This version was the first to include weapon firing
arcs, as well as introduce the concept of “space units”
as a limiting factor in starship construction.

Starmada - Fourth Edition
Released in 1998, the fourth edition made some
notable improvements to version 3.0; the most
transformative of which was the specification of
different ranges and to-hit values for each type of
weapon carried by a starship. (Prior to this, all
weapons on a ship had the same range and to-hit
values.)

The Starmada Compendium
Originally billed as Starmada - Fifth Edition, this
edition followed the fourth relatively quickly, appearing
in late 1998. It bears the distinction of being the first
version with artwork, and becoming (in 2000) the first
professionally-printed version of the rules.
Initially put out as a 96-page rulebook and three 64page expansions, the material was eventually
collected in the Starmada Compendium. This version
is likely the one to which most long-time players were
first introduced.

Starmada X
Intended to mark the game’s tenth anniversary (hence
the “X”), this version got off to a rocky start in late
2003. The initial release as a “box set” was not wellreceived; however, after being re-issued in traditional
book form in early 2004 (allowing players to focus on
game play instead of packaging), Starmada X held
strong for nearly four years, cementing its place as
one of the pre-eminent games of starship combat on
the market.

Unity Rulebook – Version 2.0

7

Among the several improvements introduced were
fully-customizable weapons and the implementation
of a damage allocation track tailored to each
individual starship design. It also became the first
version with tie-ins to miniature manufacturers.

0.4 Change Log


April 2017: Initial release.

Starmada: The Admiralty Edition



June 2017: Removed Defensive weapon to-hit
penalty (p.42); modified description of Proximity
weapon trait (p.43); renamed three Arcturan
starship classes (p.86).



October 2018: Adjusted Range-Based weapon
trait construction multipliers (p.25).



April
2020:
Updated
to
v2.0.
Visit
www.mj12games.com/starmada to download a
complete description of all changes.

Early in 2007, a group of veteran players came
together to discuss the future of Starmada. This
group was given the name of “The Admiralty”, and
tasked with developing a new edition of the game.
The result was The Admiralty Edition, the culmination
of nearly a year of collective effort to update,
streamline, and otherwise improve upon the game.
This was the most successful edition of Starmada
ever, with a number of supplements released over the
years, expanding the game into both historical wetnavy and far-future space-navy settings.

Star Fleet Armada
In 2009, Majestic Twelve Games began a joint
venture with Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. The first
book, Klingon Armada, included display sheets for 40
starships representing the empires of the Star Fleet
Universe, along with updates and additions to the
Starmada rules to simulate battles in that setting. To
date, five books in this series have been released,
containing hundreds of ship designs.

Starmada: Fleet Ops
Not exactly a new edition, Fleet Ops was instead an
attempt to “scale up” Starmada to allow for even
larger battles. Published in 2011, it was meant to
coexist alongside the Admiralty edition, but introduced
a number of concepts that would make their way into
the next iteration of the core game.

Starmada Nova Rulebook
Released in 2012, in many ways Nova represented a
departure from earlier versions of the game. Most
notably, this version moved away from representing
each individual weapon on the starship display sheet
in favor of abstract “attack dice”. Combat modifiers
increased or decreased the number of attack dice
rather than adjusting the chance of scoring a hit on
each to-hit die.
Although these changes did speed up combat
resolution, additional simplification (such as the
introduction of generic “damage boxes”) resulted in a
“love it or hate it” split among long-time players.

Starmada Unity
The first version of this rulebook was released in April
2017. Drawing from all the best bits of the editions
that preceded it, Unity is meant to be the definitive
incarnation of the game. It can be seen in some ways
as a return to Admiralty, although this edition retained
some of the more useful innovations from Nova.

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This section summarizes all substantive changes
made to the Starmada rulebook.

0.5 Design Credits
It would be impossible to give full credit to everyone
who has contributed to the development of Starmada
over the years. Nevertheless, even an incomplete
accounting is better than none.

Game Design & Rules Text
Daniel Kast

Unity Edition Development Assistance
Ken Burnside, Ken Rodeghero, Noel Weer

The Admiralty (2007)
Jim Callahan, Matt Curtis, Peter Drake,
James M. Dugan, K. David Ladage,
Brendan Mayhugh, Rich Oden, Todd Pote,
John Voysey, Noel Weer

Playtesting (All Editions)
John Acar, Daniel Baker, Kyle Barton,
Devin Callahan, Richard Colwell, Symon Cook,
Stephen Cooper, Andrew Damon, John Davidson,
Klaus Deckenbach, Brian Dyck, Ben Frayser,
Steven Gabriel, Eric Garvue, Mark Giebler,
Steven Gilchrist, Kevin Gray, Dean Gundberg,
Chris Gunning, Keeton Harrington, Sam Hart,
Garrick Herbst, Garrett Hunter, Darren Kehrer,
Kyle Koskinen, Don Kuehn, Tyrel Lohr,
Brad McElhaney, Jeff Miller, Robb Minneman,
Thomas Nicar, Jason Noble, Bob Norman,
Darren O’Connell, Deric Page, Eric Parker,
Jonathan Pike, Juha Pohjalainen, James Pridemore,
Sam Pullen, Joshua Rasey, Jerry Robinson,
Demian Rose, Peter Schutze, Matthew Siedl,
Mark Siefert, Brad Sweet, Ken Taborek, Brian Trotter,
Bas Van Der Meer, Jay Waschak, Martin Wilför,
Chad Wilson, Timothy Wolfe

Special Thanks
Thomas Bartkowiak, Scott Franklin, Brian Jurczyk,
W. Gregory Klett, Brendan Mayhugh, Chris Mazurek,
John Richert, Derek Rompot, Kevin Smith,
Timothy Swenson, and all the members of the
Majestic Twelve Games discussion forum:
forum.mj12games.com

1.0 THE STARSHIP DISPLAY SHEET

Before players can begin
the process of blasting
each other’s fleets out of
existence,
some
understanding of starships
and the way they are
defined within the game is
necessary. This chapter
explains these details by
introducing the starship
display sheets, which
keep track of all required
information for each ship in
the game.

1.1 Identifying
Characteristics
The top section of the starship display sheet consists
of descriptive information.

Faction, Class, & Type
At the top of the starship display is a line with (up to)
three distinct bits of information:






The faction is the political entity which primarily
operates the starship. Depending on the setting in
which your battles are being fought, a faction may
be anything from a pirate cartel to a galaxyspanning empire.
A starship’s class is the designation given to the
group of ships with which it shares its design and
capabilities. Within the game, all ships in a given
class have the same operational parameters, and
therefore use identical display sheets.
The starship’s type provides a general idea of the
role it fulfills within its fleet and command
structure. In many cases, ships are assigned
types with a naval analogue (e.g. “battleship”,
“destroyer”, etc.) although this is not always true.

Combat Rating
Following the starship’s class is its combat rating: a
number indicating the ship’s ability to give and receive
punishment relative to other ships in the game. The
higher the combat rating, the more effective the ship
will be in battle.
The starship display sheet above is for an Imperial
Majestic-class battlecruiser. The Majestic has a
combat rating of 185.

Starship Name
Below the starship class is an empty space reserved
for the ship’s name. This should be unique, as it
serves to distinguish individual ships, and link the
display to a specific model on the game board.
Alternatively (or in addition) a unique letter or number
can be written in the “ID” box.

1.2 Structural Components
The next section of the starship display constitutes
four “tracks” which are used to mark the effects of
damage as it occurs.

Hull
The number of boxes on the hull track corresponds to
the starship’s hull size. As the ship suffers hull hits,
these boxes will be checked off; the number in the
first unchecked box indicates how many hull hits can
be taken before destruction. Once the last hull box
has been checked, the ship is destroyed and removed
from the game.
A starship’s hull size is not reduced by hull hits; e.g. a
hull size 6 ship is always considered hull size 6,
regardless of the number of hull hits taken.
Some starships have a group of boxes above the hull
track; this indicates the presence of B.18: Screens
(p.35). Four sets of boxes represent Directional
Screens (p.36).

The Majestic is hull size 8.

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Engines (ENG)
A starship’s engine rating indicates the relative
power of its main propulsion unit.
The number of boxes on the engine track is equal to
one-half the starship’s hull size, rounded up. As the
ship suffers engine hits, these boxes will be checked
off; the number in the first unchecked box indicates
the ship’s current engine rating. Once the last engine
box has been checked, the ship can no longer
maneuver (engines may be repaired if using E.1:
Damage Control, p.48).

There are four boxes on the Majestic’s engine track.
The starship begins with an engine rating of 5; after
two engine hits have been taken, this drops to 2.

Weapons (WPN)
The number of boxes on the weapons track is equal
to the one-half the starship’s hull size, rounded up. As
the ship suffers weapon hits, these boxes will be
checked off; the number in the first unchecked box
indicates how many weapons are currently functional
(any equipment carried by the ship is also included in
this total, but not traits or munitions). Once the last
weapons box has been checked, the ship has no
remaining functional weapons (or equipment;
weapons/equipment may be repaired if using E.1:
Damage Control, p.48).

There are four boxes on the Majestic’s weapons
track. The starship has a total of 17 weapons (and
equipment items); after the first weapon hit has been
taken, the ship must choose four weapons (and/or
equipment items) to be damaged.

“Shields” is used as a generic term for starship
defenses that can absorb or deflect a certain
percentage of incoming weapons fire: it is possible
the “shield” rating may in fact be due to point-defense
lasers, neutronium reactive armor, reflective hull
paint, magic beans, or any number and/or
combination of different systems.

There are four boxes on the Majestic’s shield track.
The starship begins with a shield rating of 3; after
two shield hits have been taken, this drops to 2.

1.3 Weapons
Most starships have one or more weapon batteries.
Each battery consists of a number of weapons of the
same type and with the same capabilities.
The types of weapon carried by a starship are listed
down the right side of the starship display sheet. A
weapon’s characteristics are given in the following
format:

S-M-L

where S (short), M (medium), and L (long) are the
weapon’s range bands (see below).


A weapon’s range (RNG) is divided into three
bands: short, medium, and long. For example, a
weapon whose RNG is given as “3-6-9” has a
short range of 1-3 hexes; a medium range of 4-6
hexes; and a long range of 7-9 hexes. Some
batteries have a movement allowance (MA) listed
instead of range bands; this indicates the battery
is made up of C.4: Seeking Weapons (p.40).



Rate of Fire (ROF) indicates the frequency with
which the weapons in the battery can attack. This
may be due to a high cyclical rate (e.g. a machine
gun), several projectiles in each attack (e.g. a
shotgun), or other factors. Weapons with higher
ROF values have more chances to score hits
against the target.



Accuracy (ACC) determines the chance weapons
in the battery have of hitting the target. As it
denotes the minimum result that must be rolled on
a die in order to score a hit, a lower ACC is better
(i.e. weapons with ACC 3+ are twice as likely to
score hits as those with ACC 5+).



Impact (IMP) and Damage (DMG) reflect the
destructive power of the weapons in the battery.
The higher these numbers, the more damage the
weapons are able to inflict on the target. The
distinction between the values has to do with
timing: IMP is applied when attempting to pierce
the target’s shields, while DMG comes into play
if/when the shields have been penetrated.

Shields (SHLD)
Most starships have some amount of energy
shielding, if only to protect them from the impact of
meteors and other debris. However, the main function
of a ship’s shield rating is to defend against enemy
weapons.
The number of boxes on the shield track is equal to
one-half the starship’s hull size, rounded up. As the
ship suffers shield hits, these boxes will be checked
off; the number in the first unchecked box indicates
the ship’s current shield rating. Once the last shield
box has been checked, the ship is no longer protected
by shields (although it may possess other forms of
defense; shields may be repaired if using E.1:
Damage Control, p.48).
It is possible for a starship to have no shield track at
all; for example, in settings where B.18: Screens
(p.35) are the primary defensive measure. In such
cases, the engine and weapons tracks are extended
to cover the space on the starship display sheet
normally occupied by the shield track.

10

Some starships have four sets of boxes above the
shield track; this indicates the presence of B.7:
Directional Shielding (p.32).

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

ROF×ACC/IMP/DMG

If there is anything listed on the right side of a
battery’s display, this indicates the weapons possess
one or more C.5: Weapon Traits (p.41).

1.4 Starship Systems
The Lightning Turret has range bands of 4, 8, and 12
hexes; its ROF is 2; its ACC is 5+; and its IMP and
DMG values are each 1. It has the Piercing-1 (Pr1)
trait.
Below the starship’s engine, weapons, and shield
tracks is a section showing the number of weapons
carried and the firing arcs into which they can be
brought to bear (p.19). Each set of squares denotes a
separate bank of individual weapons which can fire
into the indicated arc(s). For example, “AB ▢▢▢|
BD ▢▢▢” indicates two banks of three weapons each,
one firing into the [AC] firing arc and the other firing
into the [BD] arc. As the starship suffers weapon
damage, these squares will be filled in, reducing the
number of weapons available.
Following the firing arcs is a number encased in
parentheses. This is the battery’s loss limit, used
when assigning damage due to weapon hits (p.21).

Any characteristics or special equipment possessed
by the starship, not encompassed by the other
sections of the starship display sheet, are listed below
the ship’s weapons. Ship systems are divided into
three types: equipment, munitions, and traits.
Equipment is listed first, followed by traits (printed on
a shaded background), and finally munitions, with
each class of munition listed on a separate line.
Systems are described in Appendix B: Starship
Systems (p.30).
Any equipment carried by the starship (but not traits
or munitions) also has a loss limit, which operates in
the same manner as the loss limits for weapon
batteries (p.21).

The Majestic has two pieces of special equipment:
Countermeasures, and a Hyperdrive. The loss limit
for this equipment is (1).
The Majestic does not have any traits or munitions.

1.5 The Game Turn Record
The Majestic has three weapon batteries: Lightning
Turrets, Laser Cannons, and Fusion Torpedoes.
There are four Lightning Turrets, two firing into
each of the [ACE] and [BDF] arcs. The loss limit of
the battery is (2).

At the bottom of each starship display sheet is a
game turn record, used to track different things
throughout the course of the game turn.

One box is used for each game turn. Here players
can record the starship’s movement orders (p.15) as
well as any additional information as described
throughout the rules. The checkbox at top left is used
to indicate when a ship has made its attacks.

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2.0 PLAYING THE GAME

This chapter is intended to give an overall picture of
how the game is played; further details can be found
in following chapters. After a few games, players
should be able to dispense with the rulebook entirely;
every effort has been made to keep the process as
intuitive as possible.

2.1 Choosing the Scenario
A dozen scenario templates are given in Appendix S:
Scenarios (p.58). Alternatively, scenarios may be
designed from scratch, although this should not be
attempted until players have gained some familiarity
with the game.
Once a few games have been completed, many
players will likely want to try their hand at a
campaign, or a series of linked scenarios. There are
a nearly infinite number of ways to conduct a
campaign; some easy-to-implement possibilities are
discussed in Appendix T: Campaigns (p.65).

2.3 Deploying the Fleet
After choosing the starships making up their fleets,
players may either make copies of the appropriate
ship display sheets, or else write the necessary
information onto blank display sheets, which can be
obtained from the Majestic Twelve Games web site.
Next, set the game board within reach of both sides
on a level playing surface, such as a table or the floor.
Determine the total number of starships on each side.
The side with more ships places one model within
four hexes of one short edge of the game board. The
other side then places one model within four hexes of
the opposite edge. If both sides have the same
number of ships, roll a die to determine who places
first.

Players who wish to jump right in may elect to play a
“standard” scenario, which is merely a no-frills
engagement on an open game board between two
evenly-balanced sides. This chapter describes the
process for setting up and playing a standard
scenario.

2.2 Assembling the Fleet
The first step in playing a game (aside from finding an
opponent) is to decide what size battle to fight. There
are five standard sizes:
Battle Size
Very Small
Small
Medium
Large
Very Large

Fleet Limit
400
700
1000
1500
2000

VP Target
240
420
600
900
1200

The fleet limit determines how big each fleet will be,
while the victory point (VP) target indicates how
much damage players must inflict in order to win the
game (p.13).
To begin, select a faction and build a fleet by
selecting starships available to that faction. The only
limitation is that the total combat rating of all ships
selected by either side may not exceed the fleet limit.
Sides typically choose different factions, although it is
possible for both sides to select the same faction:
think of it as a training exercise, or the opening battle
of a civil war.

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Sides alternate placing models within their setup
areas until all starships have been placed. No more
than three ships may be placed in a single hex.
Once all starships have been placed, total the number
of fighter flights on each side (p.22). Beginning with
the side that has more flights, alternate placing one
flight at a time until all flights have been placed (if
using F.5: Launch & Recovery, p.52, some or all of a
side’s flights may be held onboard their carrier). Each
fight flight must begin the game within two hexes of its
carrier. No more than three flights may be placed in a
single hex.

2.4 The Game Turn
Starmada is played in a series of game turns, each
of which is made up of five distinct parts, or phases.
The order in which these phases are conducted is
referred to as the sequence of play. When all five
phases have been completed, one game turn is over,
and the next begins with the Orders Phase.

Each phase requires players to perform specific
tasks, thus bringing some semblance of order to the
chaos of battle. These tasks must be completed
during the indicated phase, and may not be
performed in another. For example, if a player forgets
to make attacks with a starship during the Combat
Phase, the opportunity is lost and cannot be
recovered during the End Phase.


During the Orders Phase sides record movement
orders for each of their starships, according to the
rules on p.15.



During the Movement Phase sides move their
starships across the game board, according the
rules on p.16.



During the Fighter Phase sides alternate
activating individual fighter flights, according to the
rules on p.22. (If no fighter flights are present,
players may skip this phase.)



During the Combat Phase sides make attacks
with their starships, according to the rules on p.18.



The End Phase serves primarily to mark the end
of the game turn. At this time, both sides should
determine whether their conditions for victory have
been met (see rule 2.5: Victory! below).

A detailed sequence of play, describing all of the
potential actions that may be conducted during the
course of a single game turn, can be found on the
following page.

2.5 Victory!
Winning the game is as simple as accumulating
enough victory points (VPs). In most cases, VPs are
awarded for the destruction of enemy forces. VPs
may also be awarded for other achievements (or for
preventing the other side from achieving something),
as specified by the scenario.
Eliminating a starship awards the opposing side a
number of VPs equal to the ship’s combat rating; e.g.
the destruction of a ship with a combat rating of 100
would be worth 100 VPs to the opposing side.
If, during the End Phase, one side has scored enough
VPs to win, the game is over and that side is the
victor. If both sides have scored the necessary
number of VPs, the game is a draw.

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Sequence of Play
This outline summarizes all potential actions to be conducted during the course of a game turn, and the order in which
they should occur. See the relevant rule for details on each entry.

1) Orders Phase
a. If using random movement initiative, assemble
and shuffle activation deck (D.8).
b. If using sequential movement, alternate
proceeding through steps (1d) through (2c)
with one starship at a time; if one side has
more than twice as many ships, that side
moves multiple ships at a time; unless using
random movement initiative (D.8).
c. If not using sequential movement, conduct
steps (1d) through (2c) simultaneously for all
ships.
d. Record movement orders (3.1); determine
engine requirements (3.2); expend boosters
(B.3).
i. Record use of secondary weapon modes
(C.2); record shield reinforcement (E.6).
e. Reveal movement orders; confirm orders are
valid (3.2).

2) Movement Phase
a. Remove cloaked starships from game board;
return uncloaked and detected cloaked
starships to game board (B.5).
b. Make hyperdrive warmup rolls; remove
starships entering hyperspace from game
board (B.10).
c. Move all starships on game board according to
movement orders (3.3).
i. Apply damage due to minefields (B.15) and
asteroid fields (G.1); resolve explosions
(E.3).
ii. Float game board as necessary (D.4).
iii. Resolve stacking (3.3).
iv. Utilize overthrusters (B.16).

3) Fighter Phase
a. If using random fighter initiative, assemble and
shuffle activation deck (F.7).
b. Alternate activating one fighter flight at a time;
if one side has more than twice as many
flights, that side activates multiple flights at a
time (5.2); unless using random fighter
initiative (F.7).
i. Selected LRF flight may attempt to enter
hyperspace (F.6).
ii. Move selected flight on game board (5.3);
or place on combat space patrol (F.1).
iii. Interrupt flight’s movement with opposing
flight on combat space patrol (F.1).
iv. Declare attack by selected flight against
adjacent target (5.4); or declare dogfight
(F.2); or declare screening (F.3); or recover
flight (F.5).

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v. Resolve defensive fire from target
starship’s tractor beams (B.24) and/or
Defensive weapons (C.5).
vi. Resolve declared attack and apply effects
immediately (5.4); resolve explosions (E.3).

4) Combat Phase
a. If using random combat initiative, assemble
and shuffle activation deck (E.5).
b. Alternate making attacks with one starship at a
time; if one side has more than twice as many
ships, that side attacks with multiple ships at a
time (4.0); unless using random combat
initiative (E.5).
i. Declare all targets, confirming range, firing
arc, and line of sight restrictions (4.1);
declare directed damage (E.2).
ii. For each target of each weapon battery,
resolve effects of stealth (B.22); make tohit roll (4.2).
iii. For each hit scored, make impact roll (4.3).
iv. For each point of impact inflicted, make
damage roll (4.4).
v. If using sequential combat (E.5), apply
effects of weapons damage (4.5); resolve
explosions (E.3).
c. Resolve starship systems/options used at the
same time as weapons fire:
i. Launch flares (B.9); launch probes and/or
fire probes as weapons (B.17).
ii. Resolve marine boarding attempts (B.14);
trigger shockwave (B.19); use tractor
beams (B.24).
iii. Place seeker flights (C.4).
iv. Make target acquisition (TAG) attempts
(E.7).

5) End Phase
a. Apply gravitational pull due to black holes
(G.2).
b. Apply effects of weapons damage (4.5);
resolve explosions (E.3).
c. Evaluate victory conditions (2.5).
d. Resolve damage from emergency thrust (D.1);
perform damage control (E.1).
e. Reverse pivots (3.4); activate stutterdrives
(B.23); declare towing (D.9).
f. Remove face-up flare/probe/TAG markers; flip
face-down flare/probe/TAG markers to face up
(B.9/B.17/E.7).
g. Deploy mines (B.15); launch shuttlecraft
(B.20); launch fighter flights (F.5).

3.0 MOVEMENT

Movement in Starmada is governed by the first of
Newton’s Laws: an object in motion will remain in
motion unless acted upon by an external force. In
game terms, the object is a starship, and the force is
the thrust provided by its engines.

A starship’s movement orders are “2P2”. As a result,
the ship will move two hexes forward (2), turn one
hexside to port (P), and then move another two
hexes forward (2), as shown below:

The procedure for completing a starship’s movement
consists of three steps:
1) Movement orders are written for the starship
during the Orders Phase.
2) The engine requirement is determined and
compared to the starship’s current engine rating; if
this requirement does not exceed the engine
rating, the orders are legal.
3) The starship’s model is moved on the game board
according to its orders during the Movement
Phase.
For those players who are looking for a different “feel”
in their games, Starmada can handle any number of
alternative movement systems; some possibilities are
described in Appendix D: Movement Options
(p.44).

3.1 Movement Orders
During the Orders Phase, players secretly record
movement orders for each starship under their
control. Orders consist of forward movement and/or
turns; these are written in the appropriate box of the
game turn record, using the following notation:


A number indicates forward movement; e.g. “3”
means the starship is to move forward three
hexes.



“P” indicates a one-hexside (60°) turn to port
(left/counter-clockwise).



“S” indicates a one-hexside (60°) turn to starboard
(right/clockwise).



“U” indicates a three-hexside (180°) turn (a “uturn”).

Movement orders may include up to three onehexside turns, or a single u-turn; all one-hexside turns
must be in the same direction. Thus, “4P2” and
“1S2S” are examples of valid movement orders, while
“2P1S” and “2U1P” are not.

Those who have played other games using vector or
inertial movement systems should note that what is
being plotted in Starmada is not the thrust being
applied by a starship, but the actual movement to be
completed. Thus, a movement order of “4” does not
mean the ship is accelerating by four hexes per turn;
it means the ship intends to move four hexes straight
ahead.

Speed
At the end of the starship’s movement orders, the
controlling player should write the ship’s speed in
parentheses. A ship’s base speed is the sum of all
forward movement included in the ship’s orders. For
example, “4P2” indicates a speed of 6 (4 + 2); thus,
the final movement orders would be “4P2(6)”. Speed
is the primary factor in determining the engine
requirement of the movement being performed (see
below).

3.2 Engine Requirements
Each set of movement orders has an associated
engine requirement, defining the minimum engine
rating needed to complete the orders. If the ship’s
current engine rating is less than the engine
requirement for the ship’s recorded movement orders,
the orders are illegal and cannot be completed. Any
ship discovered to have illegal orders will not
complete those orders, and instead move forward a
number of hexes equal to its speed in the previous
game turn.

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The engine requirement for a given set of movement
orders depends upon the number of turns to be
performed:


If the starship is performing no turns, the engine
requirement is the difference between the ship’s
speed in the previous game turn and its current
speed.
When determining the difference, always subtract
the smaller value from the larger. If both values
are the same, the engine requirement is zero. This
is the only way to achieve an engine requirement
of zero; thus, a starship without a current engine
rating will continue to move at the same speed,
and in the same heading, indefinitely.



If the starship is performing a single one-hexside
turn, the engine requirement is the ship’s speed in
the previous game turn or its current speed,
whichever is greater.



If the starship is performing two or three onehexside turns, or a single u-turn, the engine
requirement is the sum of the ship’s speed in the
previous game turn and its current speed.

The engine requirements for each type of movement
order are summarized on the following chart:
Turns
None
One
Two or Three
or U-Turn

Engine Requirement
Difference between previous and
current speeds
Greater of previous and current speeds
Sum of previous and current speeds

Due to the above requirements, a starship with a
previous speed greater than its engine rating cannot
perform any turns.
Unless otherwise specified by the scenario, during the
first game turn players should assume each starship’s
previous speed was equal to its engine rating.
After all movement orders have been recorded, they
are no longer secret, and may be inspected by all
players.

3.3 Moving on the Game Board
Once movement orders have been recorded for all
starships, play proceeds to the Movement Phase,
during which the ship models are moved on the game
board according to those orders.
If a starship’s movement orders cause its model to
leave the game board, it is immediately removed from
play and the ship may not return. Unless scenario
rules state otherwise, ships leaving the board are
considered destroyed, and the opposing side receives
the normal amount of VPs.

Starship Maneuvers
Many options provide additional maneuvers and/or
notations that may be included in a starship’s
movement orders. The table below provides a
summary. See the relevant rule for details on each
entry.
Code

Maneuver

Standard Maneuvers
#
Move forward # hex(es)
P
Turn one hexside (60°) to port
(left/counter-clockwise)
S
Turn one hexside (60°) to starboard
(right/clockwise)
U
Turn three hexsides (180°/“u-turn”)
Special Maneuvers
L
Sideslip one hex to the left
R
Sideslip one hex to the right
… +#
Pivot # hexside(s) clockwise
… -#
Pivot # hexside(s) counter-clockwise
Starship Systems
C/…
Activate cloaking device
H/…
Hyperdrive warmup
Movement Options
E/…
Emergency thrust
Z/…
Evasive action
@/…
Roll
T/…
Towing
Terrain
[#]
Planetary orbit for # hex(es)

Increase one altitude level

Decrease one altitude level

Rule
3.1
3.1

3.1
3.1
3.4
3.4
3.4
3.4
B.5
B.10
D.1
D.3
D.7
D.9
G.5
G.6
G.6

Stacking
Starships may move through hexes occupied by other
ships without incident: space is big enough for them
to pass. Further, two or more ships from the same
side may end their movement in the same hex.
However, if ships from opposing sides end their
movement in the same hex, the situation must be
resolved.
Roll a die for each starship, and add its current engine
rating (re-roll any ties between opposing ships). The
ship with the lowest total remains in place; then, in
ascending order of their totals, each ship either
remains in place (if on the same side as the first ship)
or is moved to one of the adjacent hexes, maintaining
its current heading.
A cruiser has ended its movement in the same hex as
two opposing destroyers. A die is rolled for each
starship, adding its current speed. The cruiser
(engine rating 4) rolls a 3, for a total of 7; the
destroyers (engine ratings 5 and 6, respectively) roll
a 4 and a 2, for respective totals of 9 and 8. As the
cruiser’s total is lowest, it remains in place. The two
destroyers are then moved to adjacent hexes; neither
can remain in place, as that would fail to resolve the
situation. The destroyers can both be moved into the
same hex, or they can be split between separate
hexes.
If a starship is relocated to a hex within a minefield
(B.15: Mines, p.34) or asteroid field (G.1: Asteroids,
p.54), the ship is “attacked” as if it had moved into the
hex.

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Starships from opposing sides may not be placed into
the same hex during this process, nor may a ship be
placed into a hex containing terrain with which it
cannot coexist, such as an asteroid (G.1: Asteroids,
p.54), event horizon (G.2: Black Holes, p.55),
cometary nucleus (G.3: Comets, p.56), or planet
(G.5: Planets, p.56). In the rare event there are no
available hexes adjacent to the contested hex, the
ship is moved two hexes, maintaining its current
heading.

3.4 Special Maneuvers
In addition to forward movement and turns, starships
may also include the following maneuvers in their
movement orders.

Sideslips
A starship may plot sideslips during its movement
orders, using “L” and “R” to indicate a one-hex slip to
the left or right, respectively. When performing a
sideslip, a ship is moved forward and to the left or
right, without changing its heading, as illustrated
below:

In addition to increasing the engine requirement of a
starship’s current movement orders, sideslips may
reduce the engine requirement in the next Orders
Phase. If a ship’s movement orders contain a single
one-hexside turn, the engine requirement is reduced
by -1 for each slip conducted in the previous
Movement Phase, provided those slips were in the
same direction as the plotted turn (port=left;
starboard=right). The engine requirement for
movement orders containing two or three one-hexide
turns, or a single u-turn, is unaffected by sideslips in
the previous turn.
In our example, the starship has conducted
movement orders of “P2L2(5)”. In the next Orders
Phase, the ship wishes to carry out orders of
“3P1(4)”. Normally, this would result in an engine
requirement of 5 (max{5,4} = 5); however, because
the ship conducted a single slip to the left in the
previous Movement Phase, the engine requirement is
reduced by -1, for a final requirement of 4.
The primary application of this rule is to spread the
engine requirement of a one-hexside turn across
multiple Orders Phases. For example, a starship with
an engine rating of 3 and a previous speed of 6 could
not normally conduct a turn without first slowing down.
However, it may turn while maintaining its speed by
first plotting movement orders of “2R1RR(6)” (engine
requirement 6 - 6 + 3 = 3) and then “3S3(6)” (engine
requirement max{6,6} = 6 - 3 = 3).

Pivots

Each sideslip counts as one hex of forward movement
for purposes of determining speed, and adds an
additional +1 to the engine requirement of the
starship’s movement orders.
A starship with a previous speed of 4 has movement
orders of “P2L2(5)”; this indicates the ship will turn
one hexside to port, move forward two hexes, slip left
for one hex, and move forward two more hexes, for a
new speed of 5. Because the orders contain a single
one-hexside turn, the engine requirement is equal to
the greater of the ship’s previous and current speeds,
plus one for the sideslip, for a total of 6 (max{4,5} = 5
+ 1 = 6).
A starship may perform two or more sideslips
consecutively. Ships may only slip in one direction per
Movement Phase; in addition, sideslips must be in the
direction corresponding to any one-hexside turns
conducted (port=left; starboard=right). For example,
movement orders of “1L2R(5)” are invalid, because
they contain slips in both directions, while orders of
“R3P(4)” are also invalid, because the sideslip is in
the opposite direction from the one-hexside turn.

By default, a starship’s facing (the direction in which
its nose is pointed) is the same as its heading (the
direction in which it is traveling). However, a ship may
alter its facing by plotting a pivot at the conclusion of
its movement orders. This is done by writing a plus (+)
or minus (-) followed by a number from 1 to 3. A plus
sign indicates a clockwise pivot; a minus sign
indicates a counter-clockwise pivot; the value
indicates the number of hexsides turned. For
example, “+2” indicates a pivot of two hexsides
clockwise; “-1” indicates a pivot of one hexside
counterclockwise. Pivots of “+3” and “-3” are identical,
as they both result in a 180° facing change.
A pivot is written at the conclusion of the starship’s
movement orders. For example, “3P1(4) +1” indicates
a move of three hexes forward, a one-hexside turn to
port, and another hex of forward movement, for a final
speed of 4, followed by a one-hexside clockwise
pivot. Pivots have no effect on the ship’s speed;
however, the number of hexsides turned is added to
the engine requirement. Thus, if the ship performing
the above movement orders had a previous speed of
5, the engine requirement would be 6 (max{5,4} = 5 +
1).
Any starship including a pivot in its movement orders
must reverse the pivot during the End Phase. For
example, if a ship pivots two hexsides clockwise in
the Movement Phase, its model must turn two
hexsides counter-clockwise in the End Phase. This is
necessary to ensure the ship’s proper heading is
retained for the next Movement Phase.

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4.0 COMBAT

The Combat Phase will be the heart of most game
turns, as it is during this time when starships unleash
their fury upon one another.

3)

For each die that equals or exceeds the
weapon’s accuracy (ACC), a number of dice is
rolled equal to the weapon’s impact (IMP) value.

To begin, determine the total number of starships on
each side of the battle. The side with more ships
resolves the attacks of a single ship. Play then
alternates between sides until all ships have had an
opportunity to resolve their attacks.

4)

For each die that exceeds the target’s shield
rating, a number of dice is rolled equal to the
weapon’s damage (DMG) value, and the result of
each recorded on the target’s display sheet.

5)

The effects of damage are applied during the End
Phase.

Side A has three starships, while Side B has five.
Therefore, Side B will attack with one of its ships,
followed by Side A. They will alternate until Side A
has attacked with all of its ships, at which time Side
B will attack with its remaining two ships; this is
illustrated by the following progression: B-A-B-A-BA-B-B.
If both sides have the same number of starships, roll
a die to determine which side goes first.
If one side has more than twice as many starships, it
resolves the attacks of two ships at a time; if one side
has more than three times as many ships, it resolves
three at a time; and so on.
Side A has five starships, while Side B has two.
Therefore, Side A will attack with two of its ships,
followed by Side B. They will alternate until Side B
has attacked with its second ship, at which time Side
A will attack with its remaining ship; this is
illustrated by the following progression: A-A-B-A-AB-A.
The ratio between the two sides is only relevant at the
start of the Combat Phase. Thus, if one side begins
with more than twice as many starships as the other,
it will continue to attack with two (or more) ships at a
time even if the ratio is altered as the phase
progresses.
Strictly speaking, as damage does not take effect until
the End Phase, the order in which starships make
their attacks is largely irrelevant; however, by
alternating in this manner all players remain involved
throughout the Combat Phase.
The procedure for resolving a starship’s combat
opportunity consists of five steps:

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1)

A declaration is made of the target(s) to be
attacked and the weapon(s) to be used against
each.

2)

For each weapon, a number of dice is rolled
equal to its rate of fire (ROF) value.

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The order in which a starship’s weapons fire is
resolved is entirely up to the controlling player. The
game turn record contains a checkbox to indicate
when each starship has made its attacks and ensure
no ship mistakenly attacks twice in a single Combat
Phase.

4.1 Declaration of Targets
When a starship has been selected to make its
attacks, the controlling player must first declare the
target(s) to be attacked and the weapon(s) to be used
against each, keeping in mind the target of a weapon
must be within the appropriate range and firing arc,
and the attacker must have a line of sight to the target
(p.19). All declarations for the firing ship must be
made before any dice are rolled.
If, after the starship’s attacks have begun (i.e. after
any dice have been rolled), it is discovered the player
has failed to declare a target for a weapon, or a
weapon cannot attack the declared target due to
range or arc restrictions, that weapon will not fire
during the current Combat Phase.

Range
A weapon’s long range band indicates the maximum
distance at which a target can be attacked. For
example, a weapon with RNG 5-10-15 may attack
targets at a distance of up to 15 hexes. Count the
number of hexsides crossed along the shortest path
between the attacking starship and the target. If this
distance is equal to or less than the weapon’s long
range band, the attack may proceed.

Any given target will occupy at least two of these
component arcs: one from the A-F group, and one
from the G-L group. If a target occupies a hex
bisected by an arc boundary, it is considered to
occupy both of those arcs. For example, the hex
directly in front of a starship falls within the ship’s [A],
[B], and [G] arcs.

In the above illustration, Ship (A) is four hexes away
from Ship (B), and two hexes away from Ship (C).

Firing Arcs
Starmada utilizes a unique notation system to identify
firing arcs. Each starship has twelve “component”
arcs, which can be combined in hundreds of ways to
simulate most any weapon configuration players may
require.
The component firing arcs are divided into two
groups. The first group, labeled A-F, is bounded by
the hex rows extending from the ship’s position:

In the example from above, Ship (B) occupies Ship
(A)’s [G] (shown) and [B] arcs; Ship (C) occupies the
[C] (shown), [H], and [J] arcs.
A weapon may only attack a target if it is able to fire
into one of the arcs occupied by that target; e.g. if the
target is in the [C] and [H] arcs, only those weapons
with a “C” or “H” in their arc designations may be used
to attack.

Line of Sight
By default, all starships are able to target all others on
the game board. However, some options and
advanced rules introduce objects which can obstruct
line of sight. Intervening elements expressly do not
obstruct line of sight.
Line of sight is determined by tracing an imaginary
line between the center of the attacker’s hex and the
center of the target hex. If this line crosses any
portion of an intervening hex, the line of sight is
considered to pass through that hex. If the line
crosses directly between two hexes, line of sight is
considered to pass through one (but not both) of
them; the choice is up to the attacker.
The second group, labeled G-L, is bounded by the
hex “spines” rather than the hex rows:

In our example, the line of sight between Ship (A)
and Ship (B) crosses through all four of the shaded
hexes.

Further, the line of sight between Ship (A) and Ship
(C) will cross through either hex X or Y, but not both.
The choice is up to the attacking player.

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Line of sight is never considered to pass through the
hex occupied by the attacker, but always passes
through the target’s hex. Line of sight is considered to
be blocked, and an attack impossible, in one of two
cases:


Any intervening hex contains an object that blocks
line of sight (e.g. G.5: Planets, p.56).



Intervening hexes contain objects which, when
combined, apply a -4 or greater to-hit penalty (e.g.
four or more B.9: Flares, p.33).

4.2 The To-Hit Roll
When attacking with a weapon, roll a number of dice
equal to the weapon’s ROF. For example, a weapon
with ROF 2 would roll two dice. Compare the result of
each die separately to the weapon’s ACC; each die
that equals or exceeds this value scores a hit on the
target.
A weapon with ROF>1 may not divide its dice
between multiple targets.
To-hit rolls may be modified by the distance to the
target:


If the distance to the target is equal to or less than
the weapon’s short range, a +1 bonus is applied to
the result of each to-hit die.



If the distance to the target is greater than the
weapon’s short range, but equal to or less than
the weapon’s medium range, the result of each tohit die is unmodified.



If the distance to the target is greater than the
weapon’s medium range, a -1 penalty is applied to
the result of each to-hit die.
In our example, Ship (A)’s laser cannons have RNG 36-9. Therefore, attacks against any target within
three hexes will receive a +1 bonus to the to-hit dice,
while attacks against any target further than six
hexes will suffer a -1 penalty. As Ship (B) is four
hexes away, the to-hit rolls are unmodified.
Ship (A)’s laser cannons have ROF 1. Since two
weapons are able to attack Ship (B), a total of two
dice are rolled (2 × 1), coming up 2 and 6. The
cannons have ACC 4+, which means one hit is scored
on Ship (B).

When a starship is attacking a tiny target (such as a
fighter flight, p.23), a -1 penalty is applied to the result
of each to-hit die, in addition to any modifier for range.

Minimum/Maximum Rolls
Modifiers may result in a situation where a to-hit roll
cannot fail; e.g. a +2 modifier for a weapon with
ACC 3+. In such cases, any die that comes up 1
(before modifiers) is a miss.
Likewise, modifiers may create a situation in which a
to-hit roll cannot succeed; e.g. a -2 modifier for a
weapon with ACC 5+. In such cases, re-roll any die
that comes up 6 (before modifiers) and add 5, along
with any other modifiers.

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To-Hit Modifiers
Many options provide for further adjustments to the
to-hit roll. These modifiers are summarized on the
table below. See the relevant rule for details on each
entry.
Condition

Range Modifiers
Short
 Dfs weapon
 Fcs weapon
 Dfs+Fcs weapon
 Gid weapon
Medium
Long
 Dfs weapon
 Fcs weapon
 Dfs+Fcs weapon
 Gid weapon
Target Modifiers
Tiny
 Acr weapon
 Inc or NPr weapon
Anti-Fighter Batteries (attacked by
seeking weapons)
Cloaked (if detected)
Countermeasures
Adjacent to hex targeted by
Prx weapon
Fire Control Modifiers
Fire Control
Probe within 3 hexes of target
Evasive Action (attacker or target)
Directed Damage
Line of Sight Modifiers
Flares
Explosion
Fighter screen
Asteroid field
Cometary coma/tail

+/-

Rule

+1
+2
-1
-2
0
0
-1
-2
+1
+2
0

4.2
C.5
C.5
C.5
C.5
4.2
4.2
C.5
C.5
C.5
C.5

-1
0
-2
-1
-1
-1/level
-1

4.2
C.5
C.5
B.1
C.4
B.5
B.6
C.5

+1/level*
+1
-1/-2/-3
-1

B.8
B.17
D.3
E.2

-1/flare
-1/hex
-1/-2/-3
-1/hex
-1/hex

B.9
E.3
F.3
G.1
G.3

*Only if negative modifiers also apply.

A weapon with ROF 3 and ACC 5+ is being used to
attack a tiny target (-1) at long range (-1). This
results in a total modification of -2 to the result of
each to-hit die. Three dice are rolled, coming up 2, 6,
and 6. Although the 6’s do not initially score hits
(having been modified to 4’s), they can be re-rolled.
The second rolls come up 1 and 5, for final results of
4 (1 + 5 - 2) and 8 (5 + 5 - 2). As a result, one hit is
scored.

4.3 The Impact Roll
In order to score damage, a hit must penetrate the
target’s shields. For each hit scored as a result of the
to-hit roll, roll a number of dice equal to the weapon’s
IMP. For example, if a weapon with IMP 2 scores two
hits, a total of four impact dice are rolled (2 × 2).
Compare the result of each die separately to the
target’s shield rating; each die that exceeds this value
scores a point of impact on the target.
In our example, Ship (A)’s laser cannons are IMP 2.
One hit was scored, so two dice are rolled against the
target’s shields, which have a rating of 3. The dice
come up 3 and 4, causing one point of impact on Ship
(B).

Against a target without shields (either by design or
as the result of damage), the impact roll is
unnecessary; each hit automatically inflicts a number
of points of impact equal to the weapon’s IMP value.

Minimum/Maximum Rolls
Modifiers may result in a situation where an impact
roll cannot fail; e.g. a +1 modifier against a target with
a shield rating of 1. In such cases, any die that comes
up 1 (before modifiers) fails to cause impact (provided
the target has a non-zero shield rating).
Likewise, modifiers may create a situation in which an
impact roll cannot succeed; e.g. a -1 modifier against
a target with a shield rating of 5. In such cases, re-roll
any die that comes up 6 (before modifiers) and add 5,
along with any other modifiers.
Two hits have been scored by a Non-Piercing
weapon (-1; C.5: Weapon Traits, p.43) on a starship
with a shield rating of 5. Two dice are rolled, coming
up 3 and 6. Although the 6 does not initially
penetrate the shields (having been modified to 5), it
can be re-rolled. The second roll comes up 3, for a
final result of 7 (3 + 5 - 1). As a result, one point of
impact is scored on the target.

4.4 The Damage Roll
The final step in an attack is to determine the type(s)
of damage inflicted. For each point of impact scored
on the target, roll a number of dice equal to the
weapon’s DMG. For example, if a weapon with DMG
3 penetrates the target’s shields with one point of
impact, a total of three damage dice are rolled (1 × 3).
The result of each damage die is considered
separately:
Roll
1-3

4
5
6

Result
Hull Hit: Check off one box on the hull track of
the target’s display sheet.
Engine Hit: Check off one box on the engine
track of the target’s display sheet.
Weapon Hit: Check off one box on the weapons
track of the target’s display sheet.
Shield Hit: Check off one box on the shield track
of the target’s display sheet.

In our example, Ship (A)’s laser cannons are DMG 1.
One point of impact was scored, so one die is rolled.
It comes up 4, indicating an engine hit. As a result,
one box is checked off of Ship (B)’s engine track.

Hull Hits
Hull hits are resolved by checking off one box on the
target’s hull track per hit; make sure to check boxes
off from left to right. Once the last hull box has been
checked, the starship is destroyed (although it
remains on the board until the End Phase; see
below).

Engine Hits
Engine hits are resolved by checking off one box on
the target’s engine track per hit; make sure to check
boxes off from left to right. Once the last engine box
has been checked, further engine hits are ignored.

Weapon Hits
Weapon hits are resolved by checking off one box on
the target’s weapons track per hit; make sure to check
boxes off from left to right. Once the last weapons box
has been checked, further weapon hits are ignored.
As the number in the first unchecked box on the
weapons track is reduced, the controlling player must
remove the appropriate number of weapons as
losses. For example, if the number on the weapons
track drops from 12 to 9, three weapon squares must
be filled in on the ship’s display sheet.
Players are free to select any weapons as losses,
with the following limitation: no battery may lose more
weapons than indicated by its loss limit until all
batteries have reached their loss limits.
A starship has three weapons batteries with loss
limits of (2), (3), and (4). Therefore, the ship cannot
lose a fifth weapon from its third battery until at
least two weapons in the first battery and three
weapons in the second battery have been damaged.
As noted on p.11, equipment can also be damaged as
the result of a weapon hit. For purposes of this rule,
all equipment items carried by the starship, but not
traits or munitions, are considered to form a separate
“battery”, with its own loss limit.

Shield Hits
Shield hits are resolved by checking off one box on
the target’s shield track per hit; make sure to check
boxes off from left to right. Once the last shield box
has been checked, further shield hits are ignored.
If a starship has no shield track (because it was
designed without shields at all), any damage roll of 6
is considered to have no effect.

4.5 Applying Damage
As stated on p.18, damage inflicted during the
Combat Phase is not applied immediately; instead, it
takes effect at the start of the End Phase. An easy
method for remembering this is to mark damage with
a slash (“/”) on the target’s display sheet when it
occurs, and then add a second slash (completing an
“X”) once the Combat Phase is concluded.
Any starship with all of the boxes on its hull track
checked off is removed from the game during the End
Phase, and the opposing side is awarded the
appropriate number of VPs.

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5.0 FIGHTERS

Starfighters, attack craft, gunboats: whatever the
terminology, many science fiction backgrounds
include small, fast, short-ranged, and surprisingly
powerful units used to harass enemy starships and
protect the fleet from their opposing counterparts. In
Starmada, these small craft are given the collective
label of fighters.

5.1 Including Fighters in a Fleet
Fighters are grouped into flights, each of which is
represented by its own model. They do not have
display sheets, as the only important information
about a fighter flight is how many fighters it has left.
Each flight starts with six fighters, and once all are
destroyed, the flight is removed from play.
The easiest way to indicate damage to a fighter flight
is by placing a small die next to the flight’s model; the
number showing on the die indicates the number of
fighters remaining in the flight. (Be sure to use dice of
a different size and/or color for this purpose, to
prevent players from accidentally picking them up to
roll.)
In order for a fleet to include fighter flights, at least
one starship on that side must be designated as a
B.4: Carrier (p.31). Each fighter flight requires a
rating of 1. Therefore, if a fleet includes carriers with a
total rating of 10, it could field up to ten flights. When
assembling forces to a particular combat rating total,
these flights are “free”; i.e. their combat rating is
included in that of their carrier(s), and does not need
to be accounted for separately.
Unless otherwise noted by the scenario, fighter flights
begin on the game board, within two hexes of their
carrier; they are assumed to have been “scrambled”
before the first game turn. (See also F.5: Launch &
Recovery, p.52).

5.2 The Fighter Phase
Fighter flights move and attack during a separate
phase, called (unsurprisingly) the Fighter Phase. This
phase occurs between the Movement and Combat
Phases.
To begin the Fighter Phase, determine the total
number of fighter flights on each side of the battle.
The side with more flights activates a single flight.
Play then alternates between sides until all flights
have been activated.

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Side A has seven fighter flights, while Side B has five.
Therefore, Side A will activate one of its flights,
followed by Side B. They will alternate until Side B
has activated all of its flights, at which time Side A
will activate its remaining two flights; this is
illustrated by the following progression: A-B-A-B-AB-A-B-A-B-A-A.
If both sides have the same number of fighter flights
on the board, roll a die to determine which side
activates first.
If one side has more than twice as many fighter
flights, it activates two flights at a time; if one side has
more than three times as many flights, it activates
three at a time; and so on.
Side A has nine fighter flights, while Side B has four.
Therefore, Side A will activate two of its flights,
followed by Side B. They will alternate until Side B
has activated all of its flights, at which time Side A
will activate its remaining flight; this is illustrated by
the following progression: A-A-B-A-A-B-A-A-B-A-A-BA.
The ratio between the two sides is only relevant at the
start of the Fighter Phase. Thus, if one side begins
with more than twice as many fighter flights as the
other, it will continue to activate two (or more) flights
at a time even if the ratio is altered as the phase
progresses.
When activated, a fighter flight is first moved across
the game board, after which it may attack a single
target, as described below. Each flight may only be
activated once per Fighter Phase.

5.3 Fighter Movement
Fighter flights are moved directly on the game board;
i.e. no movement orders are necessary. Flights have
a movement allowance (MA) of 8. A flight is not
required to use its entire MA; however, any portion of
the MA not used is lost. A flight may not “save” MA for
use in the next Fighter Phase.
When a fighter flight is selected for activation, the
controlling player first declares how many onehexside turns the flight will perform, up to a maximum
of three. The number of turns dictates the cost of
each hex of forward movement: if the flight will turn
once (or not at all), each hex costs 1MA; if the flight
will turn twice, each hex costs 2MA; if the flight will
turn three times, each hex costs 3MA.

The fighter flight is then moved on the game board.
Flights may perform sideslips; each slip requires twice
as much MA as one hex of forward movement. Flights
may not pivot (nor would they gain any benefit from
doing so). As with starships, flights may only turn (and
sideslip) in one direction per activation. There is no
requirement that a flight move forward between turns
and/or sideslips.
Fighter flights may move through any occupied hex,
and may end their movement in the same hex as one
or more elements from the same side; however, a
flight may not end its movement in the same hex as
an opposing element (unless initiating a dogfight; see
F.2: Dogfights, p.51).
If a starship ends its movement in the same hex as an
opposing fighter flight (or flights), the flight(s) must
move when activated to resolve the situation, or else
be eliminated from the game.

5.4 Fighters in Combat
After a fighter flight has finished moving, it has the
option of immediately attacking any opposing element
in an adjacent hex. Flights may not divide their
attacks between multiple targets.
If the target interrupts a fighter flight’s attack to
perform defensive fire (e.g. B.24: Tractor Beams,
p.38) all such fire must be declared before any dice
are rolled.
Damage inflicted by fighter flights is applied
immediately. This means fighters destroyed before
their flight is activated will not be able to move or
attack in the current game turn, while starships must
apply damage from fighters as it occurs.

A starship takes a shield hit from a fighter attack.
Checking off the next box on the shield track reduces
the shield rating from 3 to 2. The new rating takes
effect for the remainder of the Fighter Phase as well
as the upcoming Combat Phase.

Each fighter flight is considered a separate target:
thus, if there are multiple flights in a hex, one must be
selected as the target of an attack before any dice are
rolled.
VPs are not scored when a fighter flight is eliminated;
the combat rating of each flight is included in its
carrier’s total. Thus, a carrier must be destroyed in
order to score VPs for its fighters.

Fighter Attacks on Starships
In order to attack a starship with a fighter flight, roll
one die for each fighter in the flight. Each die that
comes up 5 or 6 scores one hit on the target. To-hit
modifiers (p.20) do not apply to fighter attacks. The
IMP and DMG values for fighter attacks are each 1.

Fighter Attacks on Fighters
When attacking another fighter flight, roll one die for
each fighter left in the attacking flight. Each die that
comes up 5 or 6 destroys one fighter in the target
flight. In addition, because it is assumed the target is
fighting back, any die that comes up 1 destroys one
fighter in the attacking flight. The number of hits
scored on the attacking flight cannot exceed the
number of fighters in the target flight.
A full-strength fighter flight attacks a target flight of
two fighters. Six dice are rolled, coming up 1, 1, 1, 3,
3, and 6. Normally, this would indicate the loss of
three attacking fighters; however, as there are only
two fighters in the target flight, two hits are scored
on the attacking flight, while a single fighter is
removed from the target flight.

Starship Attacks on Fighters
When a starship attacks a fighter flight, the process is
the same as when attacking other ships. However,
fighters are considered tiny targets: therefore, the
result of each to-hit die is modified by a -1 penalty.
Each hit scored on a fighter flight automatically
destroys one fighter; no impact or damage rolls are
necessary. Thus, weapons with IMP and/or DMG
values greater than 1 waste these capabilities when
attacking fighters.

Unity Rulebook – Version 2.0

23

APPENDIX A: STARSHIP CONSTRUCTION

As mentioned in the introduction, Starmada is not just
an individual game, but a toolkit with which any
number of science fiction universes can be simulated.
Obviously, the critical component of any such setting
is the starships with which the fighting is to be done.
This chapter describes how players may design their
own ships to be pitted against adversaries from prepublished settings, or thrown into battle with other
players’ creations.
While every effort has been made to reduce the
complexity of this system, the help of a sturdy
calculator will be invaluable. Players may also utilize
the Starmada Drydock: a downloadable spreadsheet
available from the Majestic Twelve Games web site.
Instructions for its use can be found in Appendix Z:
Player Resources (p.73).

A.1 The Design
These construction rules have two complimentary
goals:
1) To ensure starships are constructed in a
consistent and “realistic” manner. Although this is
a science fiction game, and many things are
possible, a ship with two hull points and fortyseven laser cannons should not be one of them.
2) To provide a method by which different designs
may be evaluated for comparison.
This section is concerned with the former, while A.2:
The Combat Rating (p.26) is intended to achieve the
latter.
While we believe this appendix constitutes the most
comprehensive and balanced construction system in
any game currently available, there’s nothing to
prevent players from digging in and adjusting some of
the numbers to fit their own experience and preferred
style of gameplay. All we ask is if you stumble across
something you think works particularly well, please
share it with us.
As has been said by others before us, “Starmada is
made for tinkerin’!”

Hull Size
The first decision in starship construction is the hull
size of the ship; i.e. how many hull points does it
have? This decision is entirely up to the designer, but
will have an impact on all of the steps which follow.
Valid hull sizes range from 1 through 35.

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April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

Space Units
The limiting factor in starship construction is space. In
this sense, “space” is an abstract combination of
volume and mass. Each part of a ship takes up a
certain amount of space units (SUs), and the sum of
the requirements for all of a ship’s components
cannot exceed the total number of SUs available.
The number of SUs a starship has to fill is determined
by the following formula:
Total Space Units =
Hull × (Hull+30) × 5

Engines & Shields
Once the number of SUs has been determined, the
starship’s engine and shield ratings must be chosen.
The number of SUs required by a starship’s engines
and shield generators is determined by the hull size of
the ship, as shown in the following formulas:
Engine Factor = Hull × (Hull+5)
Shield Factor = (Hull+4) × 9
The desired engine and/or shield rating is then
multiplied by the relevant factor to determine the total
number of SUs required. Thus, on a hull size 5
starship (engine factor 50), an engine rating of 4
would require a total of 200 SUs (4 × 50).
There is no upper limit to a starship’s engine rating
(aside from space constraints). No ship may have a
shield rating greater than 5.
If the starship has B.7: Directional Shielding (p.32),
it is necessary to compute an “equivalent shield
rating,” which is dependent upon the shield rating in
each of the four defensive arcs (p.30):
A = 2
B = 1.5
C = 1.5
D = 1

÷
÷
÷
÷

(6-Fwd)
(6-Port)
(6-Stbd)
(6-Aft)

Equivalent Shield Rating =
6 - (6÷(A+B+C+D))
Round the result to the nearest tenth. The equivalent
shield rating is then multiplied by the shield factor to
determine the number of SUs required, rounding up to
the next integer.
Although no hard limitations are imposed, most
starships will have identical directional shield ratings
in the port and starboard arcs; the forward rating will
not be less than the port/starboard ratings; and the aft
rating will not be more than the port/starboard ratings.

Weapons
As described on p.10, each weapon battery is defined
by a set of five characteristics: RNG, ROF, ACC, IMP,
and DMG. The base SU requirement for a weapon
battery is determined as follows:
Base SU Requirement =
Long Range × ROF × ACC Factor
× (IMP+0.25) × (DMG+0.60)
ACC
2+
3+
4+
5+
6+

Factor
0.43
0.35
0.25
0.15
0.10

Seeking/Defensive
0.50
0.40
0.30
0.20
0.10

This result is rounded to the nearest tenth. For
example, a weapon battery with RNG 5-10-15, ROF
2, ACC 4+, IMP 1, and DMG 2 would have a base SU
requirement of 24.4 (15 × 2 × 0.25 × (1+0.25) ×
(2+0.60)).
When designing C.2: Dual-Mode Weapons (p.39),
the base SU cost is computed separately for each
mode; the final value is equal to the larger value plus
one-half the smaller, again rounded to the nearest
tenth.
For C.4: Seeking Weapons (p.40), some changes
are made to this computation. No RNG is selected;
instead, the weapon is given a movement allowance
(MA) between 4 and 12. The long range value is
equal to the selected MA. The ACC factor used is
taken from the “Seeking/Defensive” column of the
chart above. Finally, an addition is made to the base
SU requirement:
Seeking Weapon BSUR Addition =
MA × ROF ÷ 3
A seeking weapon has the following characteristics:
MA 8; 2× 4+/1/2. Its initial base SU requirement is
15.6 (8 × 2 × 0.30 × (1+0.25) × (2+0.6)). To this is
added 5.3 (8 × 2 ÷ 3), for a final value of 21.9.
If the weapon battery is to have any traits (C.5:
Weapon Traits, p.41), apply the modifiers from the
first chart below to the base SU requirement, prior to
rounding.
If the weapon battery has two range-based traits
(p.42), do not apply the individual modifiers listed on
the first chart below; instead, consult the second chart
to determine the modifier to be applied. “n/a” means
the traits cannot be combined; e.g. Dfs/Gid is an
invalid combination. A weapon battery may not have
more than two range-based traits.

Weapon Trait
Accurate (Acr)
Ballistic (Bls)
Carronade (Crn)
Catastrophic (Cts)
Deadly (Dly)
Diffuse (Dfs)
Disruptive (Dsr)
Expendable (Exp)
Fire-Linked (FrL)
Focused (Fcs)
Guided (Gid)
Incapacitating (Inc)
Kinetic (Knt)
Modulating (Mdl)
Non-Piercing (NPr)
Piercing-1 (Pr1)
Piercing-2 (Pr2)
Proximity (Prx)
Repeating (Rpt)
Scatter (Sct)
Slow (Slw)
Telescopic (Tls)
Volatile (Vlt)

Bls
Crn
Dfs
Fcs
Gid
Sct

Crn
×0.5

Dfs
×0.6
×0.9

Modifier
×1.3
×0.8
×0.8
×2.0
×2.0
×0.9
×2.0
×0.2
×1.0
×1.3
×1.1
×0.7
×3.0
×2.5
×0.7
×1.5
×2.0
×2.0
×1.4
×1.7
×0.6
×1.9
×3.5
Fcs
×1.1
×0.7
×1.4

Gid
×0.9
×0.8
n/a
n/a

Sct
×1.1
×1.8
×1.7
×1.8
×1.7

Tls
×1.7
×1.2
×1.5
×2.8
×2.3
n/a

Defensive weapons (p.42) do not apply a multiplier.
Instead, an addition is made to the base SU
requirement:
Defensive Weapon BSUR Addition =
ROF × ACC Factor* × 2
* Use the “Seeking/Defensive” factor
Weapons with the Volatile trait may not have ROF>1.
Weapons with the Scatter or Telescopic traits may not
have IMP>1.
A weapon may not be Ballistic/Defensive, Catastrophic/Incapacitating, Expendable/Slow, or NonPiercing/Piercing.
C.4: Seeking Weapons (p.40) may not be given
range-based traits (p.42), nor may they be Defensive.
Trait multipliers are applied before Seeking and
Defensive additions (if any) except Accurate,
Expendable, and/or Slow, which are applied after.
Finally, the number of weapons in each bank is
chosen, along with the firing arc designation. To
determine the final SU cost of the bank, multiply the
base SU requirement by the number of weapons and
the number of firing arcs covered, plus one.
Weapon Bank SU Cost =
Base SU Requirement × Weapons
× (Arcs+1)
This result is rounded up to the next integer. For
example, a bank with a base SU requirement of 24.4,
consisting of three weapons with a [GHI] firing arc,
would have a total SU cost of 293 (24.4 × 3 × (3+1)) =
292.8, rounded up).

Unity Rulebook – Version 2.0

25

If using C.1: Alternate Firing Arcs (p.39), use the
standard arc equivalents to determine the total SU
cost. Defensive arcs used as a firing arcs count as 1.5
standard arcs each; thus, a bank of two weapons with
a [Fwd] firing arc would multiply the base SU
requirement by 5 (2 × (1.5+1)).
C.3: Multi-Weapon Mounts (p.39) apply a modifier to
the SU cost based on the size of the mount:
Weapon Mount
Single
Double
Triple
Quad

Modifier
×1.0
×1.5
×2.0
×2.5

Starship Systems

Hull Size
1-2
3-5
6-9
10-14
15-20
21-27
28-35

Exp Factor
×2.00
×1.75
×1.50
×1.25
×1.00
×0.75
×0.50

Some starship systems also contribute to a starship’s
ORAT, as shown in the chart on p.28.

The Defensive Rating

The final step in designing a starship is to determine
what types of systems it will carry (Appendix B:
Starship Systems, p.30). The chart on p.28
summarizes the available systems, along with their
SU requirements.

A starship’s DRAT is based upon the average number
of hits it will take to destroy the ship. The formula is:

A.2 The Combat Rating

Round the starship DRAT up to the next integer. For
example, a hull size 7 ship with a shield rating of 1
would have a DRAT of 17 (7 × 12 ÷ (6–1) = 16.8,
rounded up).

Once the starship design has been finalized, it is
possible to evaluate its potential effectiveness in
relation to other ships. This is done by computing the
design’s combat rating.
The combat rating itself is a product of two
components: the offensive rating (ORAT) and
defensive rating (DRAT). ORAT/DRAT calculations
are provided below. The final combat rating formula
is:
Combat Rating = (ORAT×DRAT)0.5
The result is rounded up to the next integer. For
example, a starship with an ORAT of 200 and a
DRAT of 10 would have a combat rating of 45
((200×10)0.5 = 20000.5 = 44.7, rounded up).

The Offensive Rating
A starship’s ORAT is the sum of the ORATs of all
weapon banks on the ship. A bank’s ORAT is
determined as follows:
Weapon Bank ORAT = Total SU Cost
× (Engine Rating+Long Range)
÷ Long Range
Round each weapon bank ORAT up to the next
integer. For example, if the bank from earlier (RNG 510-15, Total SU Cost 293) were installed on a
starship with an engine rating of 5, the ORAT would
be 391 (293 × (15+5) ÷ 15 = 390.7, rounded up).
When designing C.2: Dual-Mode Weapons (p.39),
use the higher long range value for the ORAT
computation; e.g. if the weapon’s primary mode has
RNG 6-12-18, while its secondary mode is RNG 3-69, the ORAT is computed using a long range value of
18.
As before, the long range value used in the
calculation for C.4: Seeking Weapons (p.40) is equal
to the weapon’s MA.

26

Weapons with the Expendable trait (C.5: Weapon
Traits, p.43) have their ORAT multiplied by a factor
based on the starship’s hull size:

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

Starship DRAT = Hull Size × 12
÷ (6–Shield Rating)

If the starship has B.7: Directional Shielding (p.32),
use the equivalent shield rating from p.24 to compute
the DRAT.
Some starship systems apply additions or
multiplications to the DRAT, as shown in the chart on
p.28. All multiplications should be applied before any
additions are made. Thus, on a ship with a base
DRAT of 20, an addition of +100 and a multiplication
of ×1.5 results in a final DRAT of (20×1.5) + 100 =
130, not (20+100) × 1.5 = 180.

A.3 The Starship Display Sheet
The last step in construction is to lay out the starship
display sheet.

Hull Track
The hull track is the easiest part of the display sheet.
Write the starship’s hull size in the first box, and then
reduce the number in each subsequent box by one
until there are a number of boxes equal to the hull
size (i.e. the last box will always have a value of 1).

Engine Track
The engine track is a bit more complicated. First,
divide the starship’s hull size in half, and round up to
the next integer. Call this value N. Write the starship’s
engine rating in the first box. For the value in the
second box, multiply the engine rating by N minus
one, and then divide by N, rounding up to the next
integer. For the third box, do the same, but multiply by
N minus two, and so on. Continue until the number of
boxes in the engine track is equal to N.
The minimum value for N is 2; i.e. any starship of hull
size 4 or less will have two boxes in its engine track.

Weapons Track
The process for creating the weapons track is
identical to that for the engine track. First, divide the
starship’s hull size in half, and round up to the next
integer. Call this value N. The value in the first box is
equal to the total number of weapons on the ship. For
the value in the second box, multiply the total number
of weapons by N minus one, and then divide by N,
rounding up to the next integer. For the third box, do
the same, but multiply by N minus two, and so on.
Continue until the number of boxes in the weapons
track is equal to N.
The minimum value for N is 2; i.e. any starship of hull
size 4 or less will have two boxes in its weapons
track.
Any equipment carried by the starship (but not traits
or munitions) is included in the total number of
weapons when creating the weapons track. Each
multiple of a given type of equipment is treated as a
separate item; e.g. “Countermeasures ▢▢” is considered
to be two equipment items, and adds +2 to the total
on the weapons track.

Shield Track
The process for creating the shield track is identical to
that for the engine and weapons tracks. First, divide
the starship’s hull size in half, and round to the
nearest integer. Call this value N. Write the starship’s
shield rating in the first box. For the value in the
second box, multiply the shield rating by N minus one,
and then divide by N, rounding up to the next integer.
For the third box, do the same, but multiply by N
minus two, and so on. Continue until the number of
boxes in the shield track is equal to N.
The minimum value for N is 2; i.e. any starship of hull
size 4 or less will have two boxes in its shield track.
If the starship has B.7: Directional Shielding (p.32),
the sum of the shield ratings in all four defensive arcs
is used to compute the shield track.

Starship Systems
Any equipment and/or traits are listed below the
weapons, on separate lines: one for equipment, the
other for traits.
Each class of munitions is listed on a separate line,
with a separate “track”: write the number of that class
of munitions carried by the starship in the first box,
and then reduce the number in each subsequent box
by one. The last box on each line will always have a
value of 1.

Loss Limits
Finally, the loss limit for each weapon battery must be
determined. This is simple: a battery’s loss limit is
equal to one-half the number of weapons in the
battery, rounded up. For example, a battery of five
weapons has a loss limit of 3 (5 ÷ 2 = 2.5, rounded
up).

Any equipment carried by the starship (but not traits
or munitions) also has a loss limit: this is one-half the
number of equipment items on the ship, again
rounded up. Each multiple of a given type of
equipment is treated as a separate item; e.g.
“Countermeasures ▢| Fire Control ▢▢” is considered a
“battery” of three equipment items, with a loss limit of
2 (3 ÷ 2 = 1.5, rounded up).

A.4 Technology Levels
Players may wish to represent the advantages and/or
disadvantages of different races with varying levels of
technological
sophistication.
Alternatively,
the
technology levels option can used to differentiate an
advanced prototype from the rest of a fleet.
To keep things as simple as possible, this option
assumes all technologies (or reasonable facsimiles
thereof) are available at any technology level (TL);
what differs is the efficiency of the technology, and by
extension, the amount of space needed to achieve
the desired effect.
There are five TLs available, with TL -2 being the
“lowest”, or least advanced, and TL +2 being the
highest. Each TL provides a modifier to the SU cost of
particular systems, as shown below:
Technology Level
+2
+1
0
-1
-2

SU Modifier
50%
70%
100%
140%
200%

A given fleet or prototype will have a separate TL in
each of four different categories:


The Engines Technology Level modifier is
applied to the starship’s engine factor, prior to
rounding.



The Fighter Technology Level modifier is
applied to the SU cost of the starship’s fighter
capacity, rounding up to the next integer.



The Shields Technology Level modifier is
applied to the starship’s shield factor, prior to
rounding.



The Weapons Technology Level modifier is
applied to the base SU requirement of the
starship’s weapon batteries, prior to rounding.

For example, Engines TL +1 would reduce the SU
cost of the starship’s engines to 70% of normal, while
Weapons TL -2 would double the SU cost of the
ship’s weaponry.
The combat rating calculation (A.2: The Combat
Rating, p.26) is unaffected by TLs, as this value is
based upon the actual capabilities of the starship; TLs
simply change how much “stuff” a ship may fit into a
given hull. Specifically, it is necessary to “un-apply”
the Weapons TL modifier when computing the
offensive rating. This is done by dividing the weapon
battery’s total SU cost by the appropriate TL modifier.

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27

A.5 Starship Systems Table
The following table summarizes the available starship equipment, traits, and munitions, along with their effects
on the construction process. If using A.4: Technology Levels (p.27), the appropriate TL category is also listed.
See Appendix B: Starship Systems (p.30) for details on how each of these systems operates.
Starship System
Anti-Fighter Batteries
Auxiliary Services
(Cargo/Hospital/Repair/
Science/Transport)
Boosters

Type
Trait
Trait

Space Units
Shield Factor × 1
Capacity × 50

ORAT
-

DRAT
×1.2
-

Tech
Shields
N/A

Munitions

Note [1]

-

Engines

Carrier
 Launch Tubes
Cloaking Device
Countermeasures
Directional Shielding
Fire Control
Flares

Trait
Trait
Equipment
Equipment
Trait
Equipment
Munitions

Engine Factor
× 0.25
50/Flight
+10/Flight
Shield Factor × 3
Shield Factor × 2
Note [2]
Note [3]
5/Flare

+10/Flight
×2.0
×1.5
Note [2]
-

Fighter
Fighter
Shields
Shields
Shields
Weapons
Weapons

Hyperdrive
Ionized Hull

Equipment
Trait

Engine Factor × 1
Shield Factor × 2

250/Flight
+50/Flight
Note [3]
(Engine Rating+10)
× 0.5/Flare
-

Engines
Shields

Long Range Sensors
Marines

Equipment
Munitions

Note [5]
10/Squad

×1.2
×1.5
Note [4]
+1/Squad

Weapons
Weapons

Mines
Overthrusters
Probes

Munitions
Equipment
Munitions

5/Mine
Engine Factor × 1
5/Probe

+1/Mine
×1.3
-

Fighter
Engines
Fighter

Trait
Trait
Trait

30/Screen
15/Screen
Shield Rating
× 100
[Note 8]
10/Shuttle
Shield Factor × 1
Engine Rating
× Engine Factor
× 0.5
3

Screens
 Directional Screens
Shockwave
Shuttlecraft
Solar Sails
Stealth
Stutterdrive

Munitions
Trait
Equipment
Equipment

Tractor Beam

Equipment

Note [5]
(Engine Rating+5)
× 2/Squad
25/Mine
(Engine Rating+6)
× 1/Probe
Shield Rating ×
(Engine Rating+3) × 33
[Note 8]
50/Shuttle
Note [9]

Note [6]
Note [7]
-

Shields
Shields
Shields

+2/Shuttle
×1.2
-

Fighter
N/A
Shields
Engines

(Engine Rating+1) × 3

-

Weapons

[1] Increase the engine rating by 0.25 per Booster when computing all ORATs.
[2] Use the equivalent shield rating, computed on p.24.
[3] Increase the SU cost and ORAT of all weapon batteries by 30%.
[4] The listed modifier applies only to hull points; not to Screens.
[5] Increase the SU cost and ORAT of all weapon batteries by 50%.
[6] Each Screen counts as 0.75 hull boxes when computing the DRAT. A starship may not have both standard and
Directional Screens.
[7] Each forward Directional Screen counts as 0.67 hull boxes when computing the DRAT; each port/starboard Directional
Screen counts as 0.50 hull boxes; each aft Directional Screen counts as 0.33 hull boxes. A starship may not have both
standard and Directional Screens.
[8] If the starship also has Directional Shielding, use the equivalent shield rating, computed on p.24.
[9] Increase the engine rating by 50% when computing all ORATs.

28

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

A.6 Drake Notation
“Drake notation” is a method for writing out the information contained on a starship display sheet using plain text.
Suggested by long-time player and friend of Starmada Peter Drake, this system is useful for sharing designs via
e-mail, storing them in and retrieving them from a database, and other similar purposes. In addition, some
players find it more elegant than the standard display sheet.
The format of a starship display sheet in Drake notation is as follows (any line that does not apply to a particular
design is simply omitted):
<FACTION> <CLASS>-class <TYPE> (<COMBAT RATING>)
--ID:
NAME:
--Screens: <#>
-Fwd: <#>
-Port: <#>
-Stbd: <#>
-Aft: <#>
--Hull: <HULL TRACK>
Engines: <ENGINE TRACK>
Weapons: <WEAPONS TRACK>
Shields: <SHIELDS TRACK>
-Fwd: <#>
-Port: <#>
-Stbd: <#>
-Aft: <#>
--<WEAPON BATTERY 1> | <BANKS> // (<LOSS LIMIT>)
<RNG or MA> | <ROF>×<ACC>/<IMP>/<DMG> (<TRAITS>)
<WEAPON BATTERY 2> | <BANKS> // (<LOSS LIMIT>)
<RNG or MA> | <ROF>×<ACC>/<IMP>/<DMG> (<TRAITS>)
<WEAPON BATTERY 3> | <BANKS> // (<LOSS LIMIT>)
<RNG or MA> | <ROF>×<ACC>/<IMP>/<DMG> (<TRAITS>)
{etc.}
--Equipment: <EQUIPMENT> // (<LOSS LIMIT>)
Traits: <TRAITS>
<MUNITIONS 1>: <#>
<MUNITIONS 2>: <#>
<MUNITIONS 3>: <#>
{etc.}
And, an example:
Imperial MAJESTIC-class Battlecruiser (185)
--ID:
NAME:
--Hull: 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 4-3-2-1
Weapons: 17-13-9-5
Shields: 3-3-2-1
--Lightning Turret | ACE [][]| BDF [][] // (2)
4-8-12 | 2x5+/1/1 (Pr1)
Laser Cannon | AB []| AC [][]| BD [][]| EF [] // (3)
3-6-9 | 1x5+/1/1
Fusion Torpedo | AB [][][][] // (2)
5-10-15 | 1x4+/3/1
--Equipment: Countermeasures []| Hyperdrive [] // (1)

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29

APPENDIX B: STARSHIP SYSTEMS

This appendix contains two dozen options allowing
players to add special capabilities to their starships.
The systems in this section are categorized into three
types:


Equipment represents discrete items that only
provide benefit while operational. They may be
damaged as the result of a weapon hit (p.21).



Munitions refer to “consumable” equipment that is
discarded after use.



Traits describe an intrinsic quality of the starship.
Traits remain active as long as the ship is in
existence.

Unless otherwise indicated, starships may not
possess multiples of the same type of equipment
and/or duplicate traits.

Defensive Arcs
Some starship systems require the use of defensive
arcs, which are different than weapon firing arcs
(p.19). Each starship has four defensive arcs, as
illustrated below; whenever an attack is made against
a target, the location of the attacking element
determines which defensive arc applies.

The direction of an attack by C.4: Seeking Weapons
(p.40) is determined by the hex exited by the seeker
flight when it enters the target hex. An “attack” by a
minefield (B.15: Mines, p.34) or an asteroid field
(G.1: Asteroids, p.54) is always considered to have
come from the forward defensive arc.

B.1 Anti-Fighter Batteries
(Trait)

Many starship designers, not content to rely on
friendly flights to protect their starships from enemy
fighters, have chosen to equip their designs with antifighter batteries (AFB), tiny weapons which can only
attack at extremely close quarters.
Whenever a fighter flight attacks a starship equipped
with AFB, it loses a fighter on a roll of 1, just as if it
were attacking another fighter flight (p.23).
A fighter flight with five individual fighters is
attacking a starship with Anti-Fighter Batteries. Five
dice are rolled, coming up 1, 3, 3, 5, and 5. As a
result, two hits are scored on the target, while the
flight suffers one loss in response.

B.2 Auxiliary Services
(Trait)
While the focus of this game is on warships, many
vessels have significant non-combat functions as well.
These capabilities are included under the heading of
“auxiliary services”.
There are five types of auxiliary service, each of
which is written on the starship display sheet, along
with a capacity; e.g. “Transport (4)” indicates a ship
with a transport capacity of 4.

In most cases it should be self-evident into which arc
an attacker falls. When tracing the arc boundary for
questionable situations, move out from the target’s
hex along the appropriate row for three hexes,
“sideslip” one hex, and repeat. Unlike weapon firing
arcs, defensive arcs do not bisect any hexes; each
individual hex falls into a single defensive arc.

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

Cargo: The starship can carry freight, whether
civilian or military.



Hospital: The starship is equipped with extensive
medical facilities.



Repair: The starship can perform limited field
repairs, both on itself and other ships.



Science: The starship has sophisticated research
equipment and laboratory facilities.



Transport: The starship can carry ground troops
and vehicles.

As none of these have a direct impact on Starmada,
the effect of these capacities is completely abstract,
varying with the setting in which the game occurs.
Indirect effects are possible; for example, a scenario
may award extra VPs based on the total cargo
capacity of starships which survive the battle. If
playing a campaign, players may decide for
themselves what additional impact (if any) these
auxiliary services will have.

B.3 Boosters
(Munitions)
Some starships are provided with additional
propulsive power which can only be used sparingly
and in relatively short bursts. Such boosters can
provide extra acceleration at critical moments, but are
used up in the process.
Boosters are fired during the Orders Phase. Check off
one box for each booster expended. A starship may
use any number of boosters in a single game turn.
When expended, a booster increases the starship’s
engine rating by +1 for the current game turn only.
A starship may not fire its boosters while cloaked
(B.5: Cloaking Device, p.31) or while warming up its
B.10: Hyperdrive (p.33). Boosters expended by a
starship during the same Orders Phase in which it
performs D.1: Emergency Thrust (p.44) are not
doubled.

B.4 Carrier
(Trait)

A starship designated as a carrier has devoted space
to the storage, maintenance, and operation of fighter
flights. See p.22 for details on fighter operations.

B.5 Cloaking Device
(Equipment)

The most advanced form of defensive equipment ever
devised is the cloaking device. While activated, a
cloaking device will effectively remove a starship from
opposing sensors.
Use of a starship’s cloaking device is noted with a “C”
at the start of its movement orders; e.g. “C/1R2(4)”.
Once all movement orders have been recorded, place
a cloak marker in its hex, oriented so the arrow is
pointed in the direction of the ship’s heading, and
remove the ship’s model from the game board. So
long as the ship remains cloaked (and undetected;
see below) its location will remain unknown to the
opposing side.
While cloaked, a starship may not be attacked by
enemy starships or fighter flights. Any C.4: Seeking
Weapons (p.40) targeting the ship are immediately
removed from the board. Cloaked ships ignore
minefields (B.15: Mines, p.34), unless detected. The
effects of moving through asteroid fields (G.1:
Asteroids, p.54) are deferred until the ship uncloaks
or is detected (see below).

While cloaked, a starship may not attack with any of
its weapons. It also may not fire B.3: Boosters (p.31),
launch B.9: Flares (p.33), warm up its B.10:
Hyperdrive (p.33), deploy B.14: Marines (p.34), lay
B.15: Mines (p.34), launch B.17: Probes (p.35),
activate its B.19: Shockwave (p.36), use a B.24:
Tractor Beam (p.38), or perform D.3: Evasive
Action (p.44) or D.9: Towing (p.47).
While cloaked, starships may not launch or recover
any fighter flights (F.5: Launch & Recovery, p.52).
Fighter flights, B.20: Shuttlecraft (p.37) and seeker
flights (C.4: Seeking Weapons, p.40) already on the
game board are unaffected when their launching/firing
ship activates its cloaking device; however, no
additional flights may be launched while the cloak is
active.
To uncloak a starship, the controlling player simply
does not record a “C” in the ship’s movement orders.
At the start of the Movement Phase, before any ships
are moved across the game board, place the ship’s
model in the hex containing its cloak marker, and
move it according to all orders recorded while it was
cloaked, before then carrying out the ship’s current
movement orders. Remove the cloak marker from the
game board. Any “attacks” by asteroid fields (G.1:
Asteroids, p.54) along the ship’s path are resolved
immediately.
In the Orders Phase of Game Turn 1, a starship
records movement orders of “C/2P1(3)”. At the start
of the Movement Phase, a cloak marker is placed in
the ship’s hex and its model is removed from the
game board.
In the Orders Phase of Game Turn 2, the starship
records movement orders of “C/4(4)”. It remains
cloaked, so no further steps are required (although
see Detection, below).
In the Orders Phase of Game Turn 3, the starship
records movement orders of “2R1(4)”. The ship is no
longer cloaked, so at the start of the Movement
Phase, the ship’s model is returned to the hex
containing its cloak marker and is then moved
according to the orders recorded while it was
cloaked, before finally carrying out the current set of
movement orders. The cloak marker is then removed
from the game board.

Detection
At the start of the Movement Phase, before any
starships are moved across the game board, roll one
die per cloaked ship: if the result is less than the
number of consecutive turns the ship has been
cloaked, enemy sensors have pierced the cloak and
identified the ship’s general location. (This means a
ship is not at risk of detection during its first turn under
cloak.)
If a starship is detected, place its model in the hex
containing its cloak marker, and move it according to
all orders recorded while it was undetected, before
then carrying out the ship’s current movement orders.
Move the cloak marker to the ship’s new location. Any
“attacks” by asteroid fields (G.1: Asteroids, p.54)
along the ship’s path are resolved immediately.

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31

A detected cloaked starship may be attacked,
although there is an additional -1 to-hit penalty. A
cloaked ship remains subject to all restrictions listed
above, even if detected. A detected ship may not be
targeted by C.4: Seeking Weapons (p.40).
A detected cloaked starship is not automatically
detected again; however, the detection roll for a ship
that was detected in the previous game turn is made
with a -1 modifier.
In the Orders Phase of Game Turn 4, a starship
records movement orders of “C/2P1(3)”. This is the
third consecutive game turn in which the ship has
been cloaked.
At the start of the Movement Phase, a die is rolled,
coming up 2. As this is less than the number of game
turns the ship has been under cloak, it has been
detected. The ship’s model is returned to the game
board. The ship is then moved according to its
movement orders, and the cloak marker is moved to
the ship’s current location. During the subsequent
Combat Phase, the ship is subject to enemy attacks at
a -1 to-hit penalty. The cloaked ship remains unable
to make any attacks of its own.
During the Orders Phase of Game Turn 5, the
controlling player has a choice to make. If the
starship remains cloaked, it has a 4-in-6 chance of
being detected again; if it spends one game turn
uncloaked and then cloaks again in Game Turn 6,
there will be no chance of detection until Game Turn
7.
Cloaked starships are detected if they enter a
cometary coma or tail (G.3: Comets, p.55). Likewise,
cloaked ships are automatically detected during
battles fought inside G.4: Nebulae (p.56).

B.7 Directional Shielding
(Trait)

A starship with directional shielding does not have a
single shield rating in all directions; instead, it is
better-protected in some directions than in others.
This is not noted with the ship’s other traits; a ship
with directional shielding has a separate rating for
each defensive arc: forward, port, starboard, and aft
(Defensive Arcs, p.30). These four ratings are listed
above the ship’s normal shield track. When the ship is
attacked, the applicable shield rating depends upon
the direction of the attack.
The numbers listed in the shield track of a starship
with directional shielding is equal to the sum of the
ratings in each arc. As the total is reduced due to
damage, the ship’s four shield ratings must be
reduced accordingly.

A starship possessing directional shielding has shield
ratings of 3, 2, 2, and 1, for a total of 8.
After the starship takes two shield hits, the number
in the next unchecked box of the shield track is 6,
which means the controlling player must reduce the
ship’s arc ratings by 2 (8 - 6). The player elects to
reduce the port and aft shield ratings by -1 each, as
shown below:

B.6 Countermeasures
(Equipment)

The most effective means of preventing damage from
enemy weapons is for a starship to avoid getting hit in
the first place. Such efforts to interfere with opposing
tracking systems can take any number of forms: in
Starmada, these are combined under the general
heading of “countermeasures”.
The effect of countermeasures is to apply a -1 penalty
to the result of each to-hit die from attacks made by
opposing starships. Attacks by fighter flights are
unaffected by countermeasures.
A starship may be given multiple levels of
countermeasures; each level incurs an additional -1
to-hit penalty.

B.8 Fire Control
(Equipment)

Fire control does not refer to the targeting systems
inherent in all starship weaponry; rather, it is a catchall designation for any number of different systems
enabling the ship to counteract obstacles to a firing
solution.
A starship equipped with fire control is able to
counteract any single -1 penalty to the result of each
of its weapons’ to-hit dice. For example, a player may
ignore the penalty for attacking a target at long range,
or for attacking a tiny target, but not both. This ability
can be used to minimize a greater penalty; e.g. if
there is a -2 penalty due to the effects of evasive
action (D.3: Evasive Action, p.44), fire control can be
used to reduce this to -1.
This is subtly different than applying a +1 bonus to the
result of each to-hit die, as fire control is only
applicable if negative modifiers also apply.

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April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

A starship may be given multiple levels of fire control;
each level allows the ship to counteract a separate -1
to-hit penalty.

B.9 Flares
(Munitions)

Flares release a short, concentrated burst of
electromagnetic radiation, useful for disrupting enemy
weapons fire through an area of space. Flares are
launched at the same time a starship makes its
attacks.
First, declare how many flares are being launched,
and check off that number of flares on the starship
display sheet. For each flare launched, select a target
hex within 10 hexes of the launching ship, in any
direction, and roll a die:
Roll
1
2-4
5-6

Effect
None. The flare was a “dud”.
Place a flare marker face down in a random hex
adjacent to the target hex.
Place a flare marker face down in the target hex.

During the End Phase, remove all face-up flare
markers and flip all face-down flare markers to face
up.
The effect of flares is to reduce the effectiveness of
weapons fire. If the line of sight (p.19) passes over
any part of a hex containing a face up flare marker,
apply a -1 penalty. This penalty is cumulative; e.g. if
the line of sight passes through two flares, the penalty
is -2. A face-down flare marker has no effect.

While a starship is warming up its hyperdrive, it may
only move straight ahead; it may not perform any
turns, sideslips, pivots, D.3: Evasive Action (p.44),
D.7: Rolls (p.46), or changes in altitude (G.6: ThreeDimensional Play, p.57). A ship may not warm up its
hyperdrive in the same game turn as it fires B.3:
Boosters (p.31) or while cloaked (B.5: Cloaking
Device, p.31).
If using E.4: Partial Victory Points (p.49), a starship
that jumps into hyperspace is considered to have lost
two-thirds of its hull boxes for victory purposes. This
means a ship that has lost one-third of its hull boxes
will award 20% of the normal VPs when jumping into
hyperspace, while a ship that has already lost twothirds of its hull boxes will award no additional VPs
when entering hyperspace.

B.11 Ionized Hull
(Trait)

A starship’s primary method of defense is its shield
rating. Unfortunately, even the most powerful
shielding allows a fraction of enemy fire to penetrate
to the ship. Therefore, some ships have an additional
line of defense.
An ionized hull represents an electromagnetic barrier
around the “skin” of a starship, capable of deflecting
or absorbing damage as it occurs. The effect is to
negate any damage roll result of 1, eliminating 33% of
potential hull damage.

B.12 Launch Tubes

A starship may not launch flares while cloaked (B.5:
Cloaking Device, p.31). If using G.6: ThreeDimensional Play (p.57), flares exist at all altitude
levels.

(Trait)

B.10 Hyperdrive

Some starships are designed to deploy their fighter
contingents very quickly; such carriers can be deadly
to unsuspecting opponents.

(Equipment)
All of the action in Starmada is considered to be
taking place in the “normal” Newtonian universe.
However, many science fiction settings include faster
than light travel. In order for this to be possible, the
concept of hyperspace has often been postulated.
The exact nature of hyperspace (and even its name)
will vary depending upon the universe within which
the game is being played; its role in Starmada is to
give ships an escape route from battle.

This system requires the use of F.5: Launch &
Recovery (p.52).

The effect of launch tubes is to double the launch
maximum given in the table on p.53; e.g. a ship of hull
size 8 possessing launch tubes would be able to
launch four fighter flights in a single game turn, rather
than two.
Launch tubes have no effect on recovery rates.

B.13 Long Range Sensors

Activation of the hyperdrive is a multi-game-turn
process. The hypderdrive “warmup” is recorded by
writing an “H” at the start of the starship’s movement
orders; e.g. “H/4(4)”. When the ship is moved, roll one
die and record the result in the game turn record. In
subsequent turns, roll another die and add it to the
previous result. Once this running total reaches 10,
the ship enters hyperspace. If a ship fails to continue
its hyperdrive warmup for any reason, the running
total is lost, and it must begin again from zero. The
running total is likewise reduced to zero if the ship
suffers an engine hit.

(Equipment)

A starship entering hyperspace is considered to be
destroyed for purposes of the current scenario;
however, the opposing side receives only 50% the
normal amount of VPs, rounded up.

This range modification only applies so long as the
LRS is operational; if a starship’s LRS is damaged,
the range to its targets is determined normally.

Long range sensors (LRS) is a catch-all term for any
mechanism by which a starship is able to extend the
reach of its targeting systems and thereby strike
targets further away than would otherwise be
possible.
A starship equipped with LRS may reduce the
effective range to any target by one-third of the actual
range (rounded down). For example, a target at an
actual range of 7 hexes would be at an effective
range of 5 hexes (7 - (7÷3, rounded down)).

Unity Rulebook – Version 2.0

33

B.14 Marines
(Munitions)

Marines are troops trained in the art of shipboard
combat. Their role in Starmada is to assault opposing
starships in an attempt to capture them. They can
also be useful in preventing the same thing from
happening to their own ship.
Marines are assigned to starships in “squads”: each
squad represents a group of individual soldiers who
fight as a unit. Marine squads are “fired” during the
Combat Phase, at the same time a starship’s
weapons are fired (it is assumed the marines are
furnished with teleporters, jetpacks, or other means
for boarding enemy ships). A ship can only attempt to
land marine squads on a single target per Combat
Phase. The target of a marine attack must be
declared at the same time as targets for the ship’s
weapons.
The maximum range for marine boarding attempts is
5 hexes; there are no firing arc restrictions. Roll one
die per marine squad being “fired”; no range modifiers
are applied to this roll, although other to-hit modifiers
apply. Each die that exceeds the range to the target is
then re-rolled. Each of these dice that exceeds the
target’s shield rating results in one boarding party
landed on the target. An unmodified roll of 1 always
fails; rolls higher than 6 are handled as described on
p.20.
The maximum number of marine squads which can
be used to attack in a single Combat Phase is limited
by the starship’s hull size:
Hull Size
1-3
4-8
9-15
16-24
25-35

Max Marines
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six

A starship may choose to sacrifice two screens (B.18:
Screens, p.35) to prevent one enemy boarding party
from landing.
A starship struck by weapons with the Deadly trait
(C.5: Weapon Traits, p.41) may sacrifice one marine
squad to cancel one crew casualty.

Shipboard Combat (Optional)
The primary focus of Starmada is on ship-to-ship
combat; for this reason, the effect of boarding parties
within the game is highly abstracted. However, some
players may wish to simulate the furious firefights and
desperate last stands of shipboard combat.
When using this option, defending marine squads are
not sacrificed in order to destroy boarding parties on a
1:1 basis; instead, the opposing forces engage in
shipboard combat until one or the other has been
eliminated. Only after all defending marine squads
have been removed can the starship be captured.
During the End Phase, the defending player rolls a
number of dice equal to the number of marine squads
on the starship. The result of each die is then
compared to the following table:
Roll
1-2
3-5
6

Number of Hits
None
One
Two

Each hit results in the elimination of an attacking
boarding party. After casualties are removed, roll one
die on the above chart for each surviving boarding
party; each hit eliminates one defending marine
squad.

A marine squad that is successfully transferred to the
target should be checked off the attacking starship’s
display sheet; however, any squad that fails to
successfully transport is not lost. It may try again in a
subsequent Combat Phase.

Five boarding parties have landed on an opposing
starship with three marine squads onboard. The
defender rolls three dice, coming up 1, 5, and 6. As a
result, three hits are scored (0 + 1 + 2), eliminating
three attacking boarding parties.

Once landed on an opposing starship, a marine
squad becomes a “boarding party”. If the target has
its own marines on board, they may be sacrificed on a
1:1 basis to eliminate enemy boarding parties as they
land.

The attacker next rolls two dice, coming up 1 and 4.
Thus, the attacker scores one hit (0 + 1), removing
one defending marine squad.

During the End Phase, if the number of enemy
boarding parties is equal to or greater than the
number of unchecked boxes remaining on a starship’s
hull track, the ship has been captured by boarders
and is removed from the game board. It is considered
destroyed for victory purposes, although in Appendix
T: Campaigns (p.65) captured vessels may have a
different fate than those destroyed by weapons fire.
A starship of hull size 5 has taken two hull hits, and
has no friendly marine squads onboard. Two enemy
boarding parties have been landed. Therefore, one
more hull hit or enemy boarding party will result in
the ship’s capture.

34

Starships currently under cloak (B.5: Cloaking
Device, p.31) may not attempt to land marines on
enemy ships, nor may they be boarded unless they
have been detected.

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

B.15 Mines
(Munitions)

Mines, while primarily a strategic defense, can have
an impact in tactical situations as well, by denying
freedom of movement to opposing forces. In
Starmada, mines are not handled individually, but are
used en masse to create minefields.
Mines are deployed during the End Phase. First,
declare how many mines are being used, and remove
that number of mines from the ship. For each mine
used, place one mine marker in any adjacent hex.
Mines cannot be placed in a hex occupied by an
enemy ship. Starships currently under cloak (B.5:
Cloaking Device, p.31) may not deploy mines.

All of the mine markers in a given hex are collectively
referred to as a “minefield”. Whenever an element
(friendly or otherwise) enters a hex containing or
adjacent to a minefield, the element is immediately
attacked. The number of to-hit dice rolled is equal to
the number of markers in the minefield. Starships are
hit on any roll of 5 or 6; fighter flights and detected
cloaked ships are hit only on rolls of 6; no modifiers
(p.20) apply. The IMP and DMG values of minefield
hits are each 1.
Damage from minefields is applied immediately (i.e.
do not wait until the End Phase). However, a starship
will always complete its movement orders as written,
regardless of any engine hits that might result.
If the moving starship has B.7: Directional Shielding
(p.32) or directional screens (B.18: Screens, p.36),
hits from mines are applied against the forward
defensive arc (p.30). B.22: Stealth (p.37) has no
effect on minefield “attacks”.
If using E.3: Explosions (p.48), a starship destroyed
by a minefield has its explosion resolved at the
conclusion of its movement, rather than during the
End Phase.
If using G.6: Three-Dimensional Play (p.57),
minefields are considered to exist at all altitude levels.

Minesweeping
Minefields may be reduced in size and/or destroyed.
Minefields are considered tiny targets; i.e. there is a
-1 to-hit penalty unless the attacking weapon has the
Accurate trait (C.5: Weapon Traits, p.42). Each hit
scored on a minefield removes one mine marker;
there is no need for impact or damage rolls.

B.16 Overthrusters
(Equipment)

Some starships are equipped with powerful
maneuvering thrusters, allowing them to quickly rotate
to bring their weapons to bear.
After all starships have been moved in the Movement
Phase, any ship equipped with overthrusters rolls one
die: if the result is 4-6, the ship may make a onehexside turn to port or starboard. Record the direction
in the game turn record. During the End Phase, any
ships that used their overthrusters are turned one
hexside in the opposing direction, so that they will
retain their proper heading in the subsequent game
turn. For example, a ship that used its overthrusters to
turn one hexside to port in the Movement Phase is
turned one hexside to starboard in the End Phase.

B.17 Probes
(Munitions)

Probes are scientific instruments, carried by starships
for survey and scouting purposes. They may also be
used to help starships locate their targets. Probes are
launched during the Combat Phase, at the same time
that a ship makes its attacks.

First, declare how many probes are being launched,
and remove that number of probes from the starship
display sheet. For each probe launched, select a
target hex within 10 hexes of the launching ship, in
any direction, and roll a die:
Roll
1
2-4

5-6

Effect
None. The probe was a “dud”.
Place a probe marker face down in a random
hex adjacent to the target hex.
Place a probe marker face down in the target
hex.

During the End Phase, remove all face-up probe
markers and flip all face-down probe markers to face
up.
Probe markers have two effects:
1) First, instead of tracing line of sight (p.19) directly
to a target, a starship may trace line of sight from
itself to any face-up probe marker it launched, and
then from that marker to the target.
In this way, probes may be used to circumvent
intervening obstructions such as B.9: Flares
(p.33), E.3: Explosions (p.48), Appendix G:
Terrain (p.54), etc. Range and firing arc
restrictions still apply.
2) Second, a starship may apply a +1 to-hit bonus to
its attacks if there is a face-up probe marker it
launched within three hexes of the target. C.4:
Seeking Weapons (p.40) may claim this bonus if
there is a face-up probe marker within three hexes
at the time they impact their target.
A face-down probe marker has no effect.

Probes as Weapons
Probes may also be used in a pinch as (weak)
weapons. They are fired during the Combat Phase, at
the same time a starship makes its other attacks.
First, declare how many probes are being fired, and
remove that number of probes from the starship
display sheet. A ship may only attack a single target
with probes in each Combat Phase. Probe attacks are
subject to the following rules:


Probe attacks can be made in any direction; i.e.
there are no firing arc restrictions.



Probes have RNG 1-3-6, and are ACC 4+. The
ROF, IMP, and DMG values are each 1.

A starship may not launch probes (either as weapons
or for targeting assistance) when cloaked (B.5:
Cloaking Device, p.31).

B.18 Screens
(Trait)

Unlike shields, which deflect incoming weapons fire
with varying degrees of success, screens are 100%
effective at preventing damage to a starship.
However, they are used up in the process, eventually
leaving the ship completely vulnerable.

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The presence of screens is not listed with a starship’s
other traits; instead, it is indicated on the display
sheet by one or more rows of boxes above the hull
track, as shown in the following example of a hull size
8 ship with 12 screens:

When enemy weapons penetrate the shields (if any)
of a starship possessing screens, do not make any
damage rolls (p.21); instead, check off one screen per
point of damage inflicted. Once all of a ship’s screens
have been checked off, begin rolling for damage
normally.
A starship may choose to sacrifice two screens to
prevent one enemy boarding party from landing
(B.14: Marines, p.34).
As with “shields” (p.10), the term “screens” is
deliberately vague, as the exact nature of this system
depends on the specific setting. It may be renamed by
players as needed; what matters is its function within
the game.

Damage-Based Traits
Damage-based traits (C.5: Weapon Traits, p.41)
require additional consideration when interacting with
screens:

A starship with directional screens does not have a
single set of boxes; instead, it has a separate group
for each defensive arc: forward, port, starboard, and
aft (Defensive Arcs, p.30).

In the above example, a starship has 10 screens in
the forward arc, 9 in each of the port and starboard
arcs, and 6 in the aft arc.
When a starship is attacked, the applicable group of
screens depends upon the direction of the attack.
Only screens in the relevant group can be used to
absorb damage; if no screens remain in that group,
damage rolls are made as normal, even if screens
remain in one or more of the other arcs.

Bleed-Through (Optional)
As an optional rule, players may decide screens are
not 100% effective at preventing damage. Roll one
die per point of damage inflicted; on a result of 6, that
point is not absorbed by screens, and is instead
resolved normally.
A starship is hit by enemy weapons fire, and four
points of damage are inflicted. Four dice are rolled,
coming up 3, 5, 5, and 6. As a result, three screens are
checked off, while one roll is made on the damage
chart (p.21).



Catastrophic: Roll one die per point of damage
inflicted. If the result is 4-6, check off one
additional screen.



Deadly: Roll one die per point of damage inflicted.
If the result is 4-6, check off one additional screen.

B.19 Shockwave



Disruptive: Check off one additional screen per
point of damage inflicted.



Incapacitating: Roll one die per point of damage
inflicted. If the result is 1-3, reduce the number of
screens checked off by one.

The shockwave device is a vicious weapon. When
triggered, it releases a powerful pulsed fusion blast
that radiates from the starship’s shield generators into
surrounding space.



Kinetic: Check off one additional screen per point
of damage inflicted.
A volley of weapons with the Incapacitating and
Kinetic traits scores four points of damage. Four dice
are rolled, coming up 1, 2, 4, and 5. As a result, a
total of six screens are checked off: a base of 4
damage points, +4 due to the Kinetic trait, -2 due to
the Incapacitating trait.

If the total number of screens to be checked off from a
given volley exceeds the number of screens
remaining on the target ship, the excess is rolled as
normal damage, disregarding the damage-based
trait(s).
A starship with four screens remaining is hit for
three points of damage by weapons with the
Catastrophic trait. Three dice are rolled, coming up
3, 4, and 6. This would normally result in five screens
being checked off; however, as the ship only has four
remaining, the fifth is resolved as a normal damage
roll, disregarding the Catastrophic trait.

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Directional Screens

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

(Trait)

A starship triggers its shockwave in the Combat
Phase, at the same time it fires its other weapons.
When triggered, a shockwave generates a number of
hits equal to four times its current shield rating. These
hits are then assigned as evenly as possible to all
elements (friendly or otherwise) and/or minefields
(B.15: Mines, p.34) within three hexes, to which the
attacking ship has a line of sight (p.19). Any leftover
hit(s) may be assigned as desired by the attacking
player, in ascending order of range.
A starship with a current shield rating of 3 triggers
its shockwave, generating twelve hits (3 × 4). There
are two elements three hexes away from the ship,
two elements two hexes away, and a fifth element in
an adjacent hex; therefore, each element receives
two hits. One of the remaining hits must be assigned
to the adjacent element; the final hit may be
assigned to either element two hexes away.
No to-hit roll is conducted; shockwave attacks are
automatically successful. The IMP and DMG values
for shockwave attacks are each 1.

A solar-sailing starship heading one hexside away
from the solar wind during the Orders Phase
receives a 50% bonus to its engine rating
(rounded up).

No target may be assigned more than one-third of the
available hits (rounded up); thus, if there are only one
or two elements and/or minefields within three hexes,
the remaining hits are lost.



Starships with B.7: Directional Shielding (p.32) use
the sum of all four current shield ratings to determine
the number of shockwave hits; do not multiply this
sum by four. For example, a ship with current shield
ratings of Fwd 3, Port 3, Stbd 2, and Aft 1 would
generate 9 hits (3 + 3 + 2 + 1).

If using G.3: Comets (p.55), the tail of a comet will
extend in the direction of the solar wind.

A starship may not activate its shockwave while
cloaked (B.5: Cloaking Device, p.31).

B.20 Shuttlecraft
(Munitions)

This system requires the use of F.5: Launch &
Recovery (p.52).
Shuttlecraft (shuttles) are small vessels used to
transport cargo and personnel from orbit to the
surface of a planet and back again. They only have
limited use in combat, but are better than nothing.
Shuttles are treated as if they were single-fighter
flights (p.22), with the following changes:


A shuttle does not start the game on the board.
Instead, it is launched during the End Phase,
according to the rules for F.5: Launch &
Recovery (p.52).



Shuttles have a movement allowance (MA) of 4,
instead of 8.



Shuttles receive a “saving throw” when damaged.
Roll one die per hit scored; on a result of 4+, the
shuttle survives. If a shuttle is struck by a weapon
with IMP>1, the saving throw is modified by -1 per
additional point of IMP; e.g. a weapon with IMP 3
incurs a -2 penalty. Any unmodified saving throw
of 6 automatically succeeds.

A starship may not launch shuttles while it is cloaked
(B.5: Cloaking Device, p.31). Rules which apply to
fighters also apply to shuttles, unless explicitly noted
otherwise.

B.21 Solar Sails
(Trait)
The solar wind is a constant stream of charged
particles emitted by a nearby star. Although not
normally strong enough to exert any real force on
large objects like starships, what if ships could be
rigged with “sails” to take proper advantage of this
energy?
A starship possessing solar sails moves in the same
manner as described in rule 3.0: Movement (p.15),
with the following changes:


Before the game begins, randomly determine the
direction in which the solar wind is “blowing”.



A solar-sailing starship heading against (i.e. in the
opposite direction from) the solar wind during the
Orders Phase has its engine rating reduced by
50% (rounded up).

In the above example, the solar wind is “blowing”
from the bottom of the picture. All three starships
have solar sails and an engine rating of 5.
Ship (A) is heading into the wind, and therefore has
its rating reduced to 3 (5 - 50% = 2.5, rounded up).
Ship (B) is heading one hexside (60°) away from the
solar wind, and therefore has an effective engine
rating of 8 (5 + 50% = 7.5, rounded up).
Ship (C) is heading two hexsides (120°) away from
the solar wind; its engine rating is therefore
unchanged.

B.22 Stealth
(Equipment)

Some starships have the capability to completely fool
enemy targeting computers, making them appear to
be in multiple locations at once—or nowhere at all.
While not 100% effective, a stealth-equipped target
means the enemy cannot be certain whether their
firing solution is truly accurate; at least, not until it is
too late.
Whenever a starship declares an attack is declared
on a target equipped with stealth, but before any to-hit
dice are rolled, roll one die: if the result is 1, the
attacker was unable to achieve an adequate firing
solution, and the attack may not proceed. A separate
roll is made for each attacking ship, not for each
weapon being fired: thus, if the lock-on roll fails, all
weapons declared by the attacking ship automatically
miss.
A starship may be given multiple levels of stealth;
each level adds another die to the lock-on roll. For
example, “Stealth (2)” would require each attacking
element to roll two dice: if either die comes up 1, the
lock-on attempt is unsuccessful.
A battery of weapons with the Slow trait (p.42) is not
considered to have been fired if the stealth lock-on
attempt fails. Thus, while the weapons cannot change
their intended target, they will be available for use in
the following Combat Phase.

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“Attacks” from B.15: Mines (p.34) and asteroid fields
(G.1: Asteroids, p.54) are unaffected by stealth.
Attacks that affect all targets in a specified area, such
as a B.19: Shockwave (p.36) or Proximity weapons
(C.5: Weapon Traits, p.43) are likewise unaffected.
Stealth has no effect on attacks by fighters.

Battery-Specific Lock-On (Optional)
For some players, the “all-or-nothing” aspect of
stealth may be a bit too much. Therefore, the
following optional rule may be applied:
Instead of rolling once for each attacking starship, roll
once per weapons battery. If the lock-on roll fails,
none of the weapons from that battery may attack,
although other weapons from that ship may proceed
(provided those batteries succeed in their lock-on
attempts).
This option will make it less likely that a starship’s
entire attack will be wasted due to a bad die roll;
conversely, it will make it more likely that stealthequipped ships will suffer damage from any given
attacker.

B.23 Stutterdrive
(Equipment)

The stutterdrive is an offshoot of hyperspace
technology. It tears a small “wormhole” in the fabric of
space-time, drawing the starship through hyperspace
to reappear a short distance away, without occupying
the space in between. Unfortunately, the use of this
device is not an exact science, and there is some
randomness in its application.
Stutterdrives are used in the End Phase. A starship
using its stutterdrive may move a number of hexes up
to one-half its current engine rating (rounded up). The
ship’s speed and heading are unchanged. Once this
is done, roll one die per hex moved. For each die that
comes up 1, the ship must be “scattered”: move the
ship the appropriate number of hexes in a random
direction, again without affecting the ship’s speed or
heading. (To determine a random direction, roll one
die: 1 indicates the direction of the ship’s heading; 2-6
indicate the remaining hexsides in clockwise order.)
A starship using its stutterdrive temporarily leaves our
dimension; it may therefore ignore any other
elements, minefields (B.15: Mines, p.34) and/or
Appendix G: Terrain (p.54) during its move and
“scatter”. However, a ship may not voluntarily end its
move in an occupied hex. If the ship “scatters” and
reappears in the same hex as an enemy ship, use the
process described on p.16 to resolve the situation. If
the ship reappears in the same hex as an enemy
fighter flight, the flight must move when activated or
be destroyed. If the ship reappears within a minefield
or asteroid field (G.1: Asteroids, p.54), it is “attacked”
as if it had moved into the hex. If the ship reappears
in the same hex as terrain with which it cannot
coexist, such as an asteroid (G.1: Asteroids, p.54),
event horizon (G.2: Black Holes, p.55), cometary
nucleus (G.3: Comets, p.56), or planet (G.5: Planets,
p.56), it is instantly destroyed.

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In the above example, a starship has used its
stutterdrive to move three hexes. Three dice are
rolled, coming up 1, 1, and 3. As a result, the ship will
“scatter”; the player rolls another die, coming up 2.
The ship is therefore moved two hexes in the
indicated direction.

B.24 Tractor Beam
(Equipment)

Tractor beams are used by starships to help guide
small craft into hangar spaces, deflect debris while in
planetary orbit, and other mundane functions. In
combat, they can be used to attack fighters and other
small craft. Tractor beams may not be used to attack
enemy ships.
Tractor beam attacks are made at the same time as a
starship’s other weapons. Tractor beams may attack
any tiny target in an adjacent hex. There are no firing
arc restrictions. To resolve a tractor beam attack, roll
one die. On a result of 5 or 6, one hit is scored on the
target. No modifiers apply to this roll.
A starship may be given multiple tractor beams; each
beam may be used to attack a different target. A ship
cannot use its tractor beams while cloaked (B.5:
Cloaking Device, p.31).

Defensive Fire
Unlike standard weapons, tractor beams can be used
to defend against attacks during the Fighter Phase.
Whenever a fighter flight declares an attack, the
target may declare it is using one or more tractor
beams defensively.
Defensive fire is resolved as above, except that hits
are scored only on each roll of 6. Any damage
inflicted is applied before the fighter flight resolves its
attack.
A starship may only use each tractor beam once
during the game turn; thus, any beams used for
defensive fire in the Fighter Phase may not be used
again in the subsequent Combat Phase.

APPENDIX C: WEAPON OPTIONS

This appendix provides several options allowing
players to greatly expand the variety of weapons
available. Where the “essential” rules allow for a large
degree of customization, the options listed here
increase the possibilities well into the millions.
The rules that follow are concerned with defining the
capabilities and/or limitations of specific weapon
batteries; rules which modify the attack process as a
whole can be found in Appendix E: Combat Options
(p.48).

C.1 Alternate Firing Arcs
For some players, the standard firing arc notation
(p.19) is not very intuitive. In addition, when modeling
starship designs from a pre-existing setting with
established terminology, it may be undesirable to
force players to learn a new system. With this option,
players may “re-label” specific combinations of firing
arcs to something more familiar.
As an example, here is a list of 20 suggested
alternate firing arcs, along with the abbreviations to
use on the starship display sheet and their standard
arc equivalents:
Firing Arc
Forward
Aft
Port
Starboard
Forward Port
Forward Starboard
Aft Port
Aft Starboard
Forward Restricted
Aft Restricted
Port Restricted
Starboard Restricted
Forward Half
Aft Half
Port Half
Starboard Half
Forward Extended
Aft Extended
Turret Restricted
Turret

Abbr
FF
AA
PP
SS
FP
FS
AP
AS
FR
AR
PR
SR
FH
AH
PH
SH
FX
AX
TR
TT

Standard
AB
EF
HJ
IK
AC
BD
CE
DF
G
L
C
D
GHI
JKL
ACE
BDF
ABCD
CDEF
GHIJK
ABCDEF

Starships utilizing alternate firing arcs may be fielded
alongside those featuring standard arc designations,
provided all players are aware of the equivalent arcs.

Defensive Arcs
As an additional option, players may utilize the
Defensive Arcs (p.30) to define weapon firing arcs.
These are listed on the starship display sheet in the
same manner as other firing arcs, using the following
abbreviations:
Firing Arc
Forward
Port
Starboard
Aft

Abbr
Fwd
Port
Stbd
Aft

C.2 Dual-Mode Weapons
With this option, players can design weapon systems
that are able to switch between “modes” as the
tactical situation requires. For example, a powerful
anti-ship weapon could be switched to a weaker but
more accurate anti-fighter mode and back again
during the course of a battle.
The characteristics of the weapon battery in the two
modes are listed separately on the starship display
sheet.

The Ion Cannon battery has its RNG reduced to 2-4-6
when used in Close Defense mode, while its ACC
improves from 5+ to 4+.
The specific mode to be used is chosen at the time
targets are declared. All of the weapons in a given
bank must use the same mode, although different
banks may use different modes.

C.3 Multi-Weapon Mounts
The multi-weapon mount option can be used to
simulate turrets, double-barreled guns, or other
configurations in which several weapons are grouped
into a single unit. Regardless of the “in-universe”
explanation, the effect is the same.
A multi-weapon mount is indicated on the starship
display sheet by listing the number of weapons in the
mount after the firing arc(s). For example, “AB2 ▢▢”
indicates a bank of two dual-weapon mounts, firing
into the [AB] arc.

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A multi-weapon mount is slightly less effective than an
equivalent number of single-weapon mounts. When
firing a multi-weapon mount, make a to-hit roll using
the ROF value of a single weapon. The number of hits
scored by each die is equal to the amount by which it
exceeds the ACC, plus one. For example, if the ACC
of a triple-weapon mount is 4+, a roll of 4 scores one
hit, a roll of 5 scores two hits, and a roll of 6 scores
three hits. The maximum number of hits that can be
scored on a single to-hit die is equal to the size of the
weapon mount. Thus, a dual-weapon mount cannot
score more than two hits per die, no matter how high
it rolls.

The target of a seeker flight is not secret; it must be
announced at the time of launch. Seekers may not be
attacked during the same Combat Phase in which
they are launched.



A seeker flight has a movement allowance (MA)
instead of RNG. A seeker must use all of its
available MA, unless it reaches its target.

If necessary, a multi-weapon mount uses the
maximum roll process (p.20) to determine the number
of hits scored.



The cost of each hex of forward movement
depends on the location of the seeker flight’s
target at the time it activates: if the target is in the
flight’s [A] or [B] arc, each hex costs 1MA; if the
target is in the flight’s [C] or [D] arc, each hex
costs 2MA; if the target is in the flight’s [E] or [F]
arc, each hex costs 3MA. If the target lies on an
arc boundary, apply the lower MA cost.



A seeker flight must move forward unless moving
forward would not decrease the range to the
target, in which case the flight must perform a
one-hexside turn towards the target. Seekers do
not sideslip. The controlling player must still
determine whether a turn towards the target is
necessary even if the flight does not have enough
MA to conduct another forward move. (See
illustration on the facing page.)



A seeker flight may only attack its declared target.
If a starship activates its B.5: Cloaking Device
(p.31), any flights currently targeting the ship are
immediately removed from the game board.



A seeker flight must enter the target’s hex in order
to attack; it does not attack from an adjacent hex.
If the target has B.7: Directional Shielding (p.32)
or directional screens (B.18: Screens, p.36),
and/or is using weapons with the Defensive trait
(C.5: Weapon Traits, p.42), the applicable
defensive and/or firing arc is determined by the
hex vacated by the flight when it entered the
target hex.



When a seeker flight makes its attack, roll one die
per seeker in the flight; each die that equals or
exceeds the weapon’s ACC scores one hit on the
target. Once a seeker flight has resolved its
attack, it is removed from the board. If the target
possesses B.1: Anti-Fighter Batteries (p.30), a
-1 penalty is applied to the seeker’s to-hit rolls.



Fighters do not suffer casualties on attack die
results of 1 when attacking seeker flights.



When a fighter flight is selected for activation, any
one seeker flight targeting the selected flight may
choose to activate first. The selected flight is
activated once the “interrupting” flight’s activation
is concluded.

A triple-weapon mount with ROF 3, ACC 5+ is
attacking a target at long range (-1). Three dice are
rolled, coming up 2, 4, and 6. The 2 and 4 miss, while
the 6 is re-rolled, coming up 3, for a final result of 7
(3 + 5 - 1). Thus, three hits have been scored (Roll 7 ACC 5 + 1).

Seeker Operations
Once launched, seeker flights operate in the same
manner as fighter flights (p.22), except as noted
below:

C.4 Seeking Weapons
Seeking weapons (“seekers”) are those which travel
under their own power to the target, as opposed to
direct-fire weapons, which are imparted with the
required energy from the firing starship. (Compare
cruise missiles to gun shells.) Slower than normal
weapons, seekers move inexorably across the game
board towards their intended target. They can deliver
a powerful blow, provided they survive long enough.
Seeking weapons can be identified on the starship
display sheet by the fact they have a movement
allowance (MA) listed in place of RNG.

Launching Seekers
Seeking weapons are launched at the same time as a
starship’s other attacks. The target must be within the
appropriate firing arc, and the attacker must have a
line of sight to the target (p.19); however, there is no
range restriction.
Instead of immediately rolling to-hit, a seeking
weapon battery generates a “flight” of seekers. Place
a flight counter in the same hex as the attacking ship,
so it is heading towards its intended target; if the line
of sight crosses directly between two hexsides, the
attacking player may choose between the two
possible headings. The number of individual seekers
in the flight is equal to the number of weapon mounts
fired at the target, multiplied by the weapons’ ROF.
If more than six individual seekers are launched at the
same target, they must be split as evenly as possible
into two separate flights; if the attack involves more
than twelve seekers, they must be split into three
flights; and so on.
A starship is firing three seeking weapon mounts at a
target. The weapons have ROF 3, resulting in nine
total seekers. Therefore, two seeker flight counters
are placed in the firing ship’s hex, one containing five
individual seekers and one containing four.

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Seeker flights remain functional even if the starship
that fired them is destroyed. Rules that apply to
fighters also apply to seekers, unless explicitly noted
otherwise.

Damage-Based Traits


Catastrophic (Cts) weapons, while somewhat
unpredictable, are capable of ripping through the
target’s hull with devastating effect. Whenever a
Catastrophic weapon’s damage roll comes up 1-3,
the number on the die indicates the number of hull
boxes checked off the target’s display sheet. For
example, if the damage roll is 2, two hull boxes
are checked off.



Deadly (Dly) weapons inflict a disproportionate
number of casualties upon the target’s crew.
Whenever a damage die is rolled as the result of a
Deadly weapon hit, any even roll (2, 4, or 6)
indicates a crew casualty in addition to its normal
effect. Crew casualties are marked off of the hull
track on the target’s display sheet, starting from
the last box and moving towards the first (i.e. in
the opposite direction of hull hits).
Once all of the boxes on the hull track have been
checked off (hull hits from the front, casualties
from the back), the starship is considered
destroyed. If any of a ship’s hull boxes were
checked off due to crew casualties, it will not
explode (E.3: Explosions, p.48).
A weapon that is both Deadly and Disruptive (q.v.)
will inflict a maximum of one crew casualty per
damage die, regardless of rerolls due to the
Disruptive trait.

In the above illustration, a seeker flight with an MA
of 8 activates with its target in the [E] arc. This
means each hex of forward movement requires 3MA.
Moving forward would not decrease the range to the
target, so the flight turns one hexside to port. Again,
moving forward would not decrease the range to the
target, so the flight turns a second hexside. The flight
moves forward two hexes, spending 6MA, reaching
hex (X). Another hex of forward movement would not
decrease the range to the target, so the flight makes
a third and final turn. The flight only has 2MA
remaining, which means it cannot move another hex,
and so ends its activation.

If the target has any marine squads on board
(B.14: Marines, p.34), it may sacrifice one squad
to cancel one crew casualty.


A weapon that is both Disruptive and Deadly (q.v.)
will inflict a maximum of one crew casualty per
damage die, regardless of rerolls due to the
Disruptive trait.

C.5 Weapon Traits
The “essential” Starmada rules define each weapon
battery according to five characteristics: range, rate of
fire, accuracy, impact, and damage. Weapons may be
further customized by applying weapon traits. Each of
these traits alters the manner in which the weapon
operates within the game.

Weapons with the Disruptive trait may not utilize
E.2: Directed Damage (p.48).


If a weapon battery possesses any traits, these will be
listed on the right side of the battery display. Unless
otherwise indicated, a weapon may not possess
duplicate traits.

Incapacitating (Inc) weapons are designed to
cause system damage with little to no impact on
the target’s hull. Any damage die rolled in an
attack by such a weapon that comes up 1-3 does
not cause a hull hit (although the effect of other
traits is applied normally).
A weapon with this trait incurs an additional -1 tohit penalty when used to attack tiny targets (for a
total modification of -2).



The PD Missile Launcher battery possesses the
Carronade (Crn) and Diffuse (Dfs) traits.

Disruptive (Dsr) weapons are designed to rip
through a target’s systems and cause a cascading
failure. When making damage rolls from such a
weapon, record the result of any die that comes
up 4-6, and then reroll it. Each die continues to be
re-rolled in this fashion until it comes up 1-3.

Kinetic (Knt) weapons are designed to carve
huge chunks out of the target’s hull. In addition to
its normal effect, each damage die from such a
weapon automatically inflicts a hull hit.

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41

Fire Control Traits




C.2: Dual-Mode Weapons (p.39) may not fire
while reloading, even if they do not have the Slow
trait in both modes.

Accurate (Acr) weapons are better able to target
small and/or swiftly-moving targets. Such
weapons ignore the -1 penalty for attacking tiny
targets.
Defensive (Dfn) weapons are capable of reacting
quickly to localized threats, and may therefore be
used during the Fighter Phase to respond to
enemy fighter attacks. Whenever a fighter flight
makes an attack, the target may declare it is using
one or more Defensive weapons.

Slow weapons that are repaired (E.1: Damage
Control, p.48) are considered to have been fired
in the preceding Combat Phase; they must
therefore wait until the second Combat Phase
after repair before being used again.

Range-Based Traits


No modifier for range is applied: defensive fire is
always considered to occur at medium range.
However, any damage inflicted is applied before
the fighter flight resolves its attack. The -1 modifier
for attacking a tiny target still applies (unless the
weapon is also Accurate, q.v.).
When defending against seeker flights (C.4:
Seeking Weapons, p.40), the applicable firing arc
is determined by the hex vacated by the flight
when it entered the target hex.

A weapon with the Ballistic trait has an asterisk (*)
in place of its short range band to indicate this
limitation.


Each weapon may only be fired once during the
game turn; thus, any Defensive weapons used
during the Fighter Phase may not be fired again in
the subsequent Combat Phase.






Fire-Linked (FrL) weapons share the same
targeting data, to the extent that all such weapons
fired at a single target are resolved as a single
volley. This is done by determining the number of
weapons to be fired at the target, and then rolling
a number of to-hit dice equal to one weapon’s
ROF value. Each die that equals or exceeds the
weapon battery’s ACC value scores a number of
hits equal to the number of weapons in the volley.
Repeating (Rpt) weapons have a high rate of fire,
allowing them to make multiple strikes in a short
amount of time. Any to-hit dice that score hits may
be re-rolled; any die that comes up 5 or 6 scores a
second hit, and may be re-rolled again; a third hit
is scored on any result of 6. No modifiers apply to
these re-rolls.
Slow (Slw) weapons require time to reload or
recharge between attacks. Weapons in a bank
cannot be used in consecutive game turns; e.g. if
the bank makes any attacks in Game Turn 2, it
cannot attack again until Game Turn 4. This
restriction applies to the bank as a whole; even if
only one weapon is fired, the entire bank is unable
to attack during the following Combat Phase,
although other banks within the same battery are
not affected.
Unless otherwise specified by the scenario, Slow
weapons begin the game primed and ready to fire.
A weapon may be given the Slow trait twice; such
weapons are only able to fire every third game
turn.

42

Slow weapons that have been declared against a
target with Stealth (p.37) are not considered to
have been fired if the lock-on attempt fails. Thus,
while the weapons cannot change their intended
target, they will be available for use in the
following Combat Phase.

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

Ballistic (Bls) weapons require a certain distance
in which to accelerate to attack speed and/or
acquire a targeting solution. Attacks cannot be
made against targets at short range. Thus, a
weapon with RNG 6-12-18 could not be used to
attack any target within 6 hexes if given the
Ballistic trait.

Carronade (Crn) weapons take their name from
short-ranged, powerful cannons, typically mounted
on the upper decks of a ship of the line. In
Starmada, the term is used to indicate weapons
that may not be used to attack targets at long
range. Thus, a weapon with RNG 5-10-15 could
not be used to attack any target further than 10
hexes away if given the Carronade trait.
A weapon with the Carronade trait has an asterisk
(*) in place of its long range band to indicate this
limitation.



Diffuse (Dfs) weapons are more accurate at close
range, but quickly lose their effectiveness as the
distance to the target increases. To-hit modifiers
for range are doubled; i.e. +2 at short range, -2 at
long range.
A weapon that is both Diffuse and Focused (q.v.)
applies a -2 modifier at short range and +2 at long
range.



Focused (Fcs) weapons are paradoxically more
accurate as the distance to the target increases.
To-hit modifiers for range are reversed; i.e. -1 at
short range, +1 at long range.
A weapon that is both Focused and Diffuse (q.v.)
applies a -2 modifier at short range and +2 at long
range.



Guided
(Gid)
weapons
maintain
their
effectiveness right up to the edge of their
maximum range. No to-hit modifiers are applied
for range.



Scatter (Sct) weapons are extremely effective at
close range, but much less so as the distance to
the target increases. Such weapons do not have a
fixed IMP value. Instead, when attacking targets at
short range, they are considered IMP 3; when
attacking targets at medium range, they are
considered IMP 2; at long range, they are
considered IMP 1.
A weapon with the Scatter trait has an asterisk (*)
in place of its IMP value to indicate this variability.



Telescopic (Tls) weapons increase in power the
further they travel. Such weapons do not have a
fixed IMP value. Instead, when attacking targets at
short range, they are considered IMP 1; when
attacking targets at medium range, they are
considered IMP 2; at long range, they are
considered IMP 3.
A weapon with the Telescopic trait has an asterisk
(*) in place of its IMP value to indicate this
variability.



A weapon with this trait incurs an additional -1 tohit penalty when used to attack tiny targets (for a
total modification of -2).


Piercing (Pr1/Pr2) weapons significantly reduce
the effectiveness of the target’s shields. The result
of any impact die rolled by such a weapon is
modified by +1 or +2, as indicated.



Proximity (Prx) weapons spread their damage
potential over a wide area. A separate attack roll
is made against each element (friend or foe) in the
target hex. In addition, an attack roll is made
against each element adjacent to the target hex,
at a -1 penalty.

Miscellaneous Traits


Expendable (Exp) weapons are furnished with a
very limited amount of ammunition, forcing
captains to pick the most opportune time to fire
them. Such weapons are represented by a box
followed by a diamond. For example, a pair of
expendable weapons firing into the [AB] arc looks
like this: “
”.
When an expendable weapon is fired, fill in the
diamond to indicate the weapon cannot be fired
again (although other weapons in the bank/battery
may still be fired). The box itself is checked off
when the weapon is damaged.



Modulating (Mdl) weapons alter their resonance
frequency with such speed and precision that they
effectively negate the protective benefits of energy
shielding. The target’s shield rating is treated as if
it were zero, regardless of its actual value.

Non-Piercing (NPr) weapons are less capable of
penetrating a target’s shields than normal
weapons. The result of any impact die rolled by
such a weapon is modified by -1. Non-Piercing
weapons treat unshielded targets as if they had a
shield rating of 1.

A Proximity weapon may be fired at an empty hex.
If a Proximity weapon is fired at a target one hex
away, the firing starship is also attacked.


Volatile (Vlt) weapons are inconsistent, capable
of providing massive amounts of firepower—or a
mere pittance. When firing a Volatile weapon, roll
a die: the result is the number of to-hit dice rolled.
For example, if a Volatile weapon rolls a 4, four tohit dice would be rolled.
A weapon with the Volatile trait has an asterisk (*)
in place of its ROF value to indicate this variability.

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43

APPENDIX D: MOVEMENT OPTIONS

This appendix presents various options which build
upon the rules for maneuvering starships on the game
board. Some of these options allow starships to
perform additional maneuvers at their discretion;
others fundamentally alter the manner in which all
ships move.

The assumption behind this option is that the very
mechanism by which a starship moves through space
also provides “drag”, having the effect of slowing the
ship. This means a ship without engine power will
eventually come to a stop (in the standard movement
system, such ships will continue to move indefinitely).

D.1 Emergency Thrust

When using the etheric drag option, the actual
movement of starships is unchanged. However, when
computing the engine requirement (p.15), the ship’s
previous speed is cut in half (rounded down).

In most every battle, there comes a time when that
extra bit of thrust becomes critical; with this option,
captains have an opportunity to get just such a boost
at a key moment—for a price.
During the Orders Phase, starships may elect to apply
emergency thrust by recording an “E” at the start of
their movement orders. The effect of emergency
thrust is to double the ship’s current engine rating. For
example, a ship with an engine rating of 5 could incur
an engine requirement of up to 10 by performing
emergency thrust.
However, this benefit comes at a cost; during the End
Phase, any starship that performed emergency thrust
must roll one die per unchecked box on the engine
track; each die that comes up 1 or 2 results in the loss
of one engine box.
A starship that performed emergency thrust during
the preceding Orders Phase has five boxes remaining
on its engine track during the End Phase. Five dice
are rolled, coming up 1, 2, 3, 3, and 6. As a result, two
engine boxes must be checked off.
A starship may not attempt emergency thrust if it has
no remaining boxes on its engine track (nor would it
gain any benefit from doing so).
B.3: Boosters (p.31) expended by a starship during
the same Orders Phase in which it performs
emergency thrust are not doubled.

D.2 Etheric Drag
The ether was a hypothetical substance, theoretically
necessary to explain the propagation of light waves.
While now out of favor as a scientific postulate, the
ether is still a necessary component of most Victorianand Edwardian-era “steampunk” settings. This rule
can also simulate other settings in which starships do
not retain all of their momentum from one turn to the
next; for example, when simulating wet navy battles
or universes in which ships move via “warp bubbles”
which must be continuously maintained.

44

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

A starship with a previous speed of 6 plots movement
orders of “3S1R(5)”. This would normally result in an
engine requirement of 7 (max{6,5} = 6 + 1). However,
if using the etheric drag option, the ship’s previous
speed is cut in half. Therefore, the engine
requirement is instead 6 (max{(6÷2),5} = 5 + 1).
The movement of fighter flights is unaffected by
etheric drag.
Etheric drag may be increased, so that a starship’s
previous speed is eliminated completely. Long-time
players may note that maximizing drag so that
previous speeds are reduced to zero, combined with
D.5: Freeform Turns (p.45), modified so that each
one-hexside turn adds +1 to the engine requirement,
effectively simulates the basic, non-vector movement
system found in previous editions of Starmada.

D.3 Evasive Action
Combat can be dangerous, and starship captains may
decide it is better to avoid damage than to stand fast
and slug it out with a powerful opponent. This option
allows ships to elude enemy fire until a better
opportunity presents itself.
A starship intending to perform evasive action records
this fact by writing a “Z” (for “zig-zag”) at the start of
its movement orders. Performing evasive action
doubles the engine requirement of a ship’s movement
orders. For example, if a ship had a previous speed of
5 and wrote movement orders of “Z/1R2(4)”, the
engine requirement would be 4 (5 - 4 + 1 = 2 × 2 = 4).

In the Combat Phase, any starship that performed
evasive action in the preceding Movement Phase
forces all to-hit dice rolled against it to suffer a
penalty. However, the ship performing the action has
the same penalty applied to its to-hit dice. The
magnitude of this penalty depends upon the starship’s
current engine rating:
Engine Rating
1-2
3-5
6-9
10+

To-Hit Penalty
None
-1
-2
-3

This means starships with a current engine rating of 2
or less gain no benefit from evasive action; they are
simply too ponderous to affect enemy targeting
systems. If both attacker and target are performing
evasive action, apply only the more severe penalty,
not both; e.g. if a ship with an engine rating of 4 is
attacking a target with an engine rating of 6, and both
are evading, the to-hit penalty is -2, not -3.

In the above example, Ship (A) has movement orders
of “3P1” which would carry it off the edge of the
game board. Therefore, all starships are moved four
hexes in the same direction, retaining their relative
positions, as shown below, in order to provide
enough room for Ship (A) to complete its move.

Fighter flights may not perform evasive action. A
starship currently cloaked (B.5: Cloaking Device,
p.31) may not perform evasive action. A ship may not
perform evasive action while it is warming up its B.10:
Hyperdrive (p.33).

D.4 Floating Game Board
In “essential” Starmada, the game board is selfcontained and exclusive; all combat occurs within its
boundaries, and any starship exiting the board is
considered to be destroyed. While this is simple,
some players believe it does not adequately reflect
the boundlessness of space. Therefore, the floating
game board option can be used.
Whenever a starship’s movement would take it off the
game board, all objects should be first “floated” a
certain number of hexes in an appropriate direction in
order to free up space for the ship to complete its
movement. Make sure all objects maintain the same
positions relative to each other.
The game board should not be floated for fighter
movement. If the board cannot be floated in such a
way to allow all starships and fighter flights to remain
on the board, then floating cannot occur; i.e. another
element should not be floated off of one edge of the
board in order to allow a ship to complete its
movement along the opposite edge.
Players should use common sense when deciding to
use this option, as it may invalidate certain scenario
objectives. For example, scenario S.2: Breakout
(p.59) becomes much more difficult (if not downright
impossible) for the defender if a floating game board
is used.

D.5 Freeform Turns
The standard movement rules are intended to provide
a somewhat-realistic-yet-playable simulation of travel
through a frictionless environment. One major
consequence is that starships cannot rely on
interaction with an external medium to assist with
changes in heading (such as tires on a road or wings
through the air). This means the “cost” of turns is
proportional to the ship’s speed. However, some sci-fi
settings allow ships to turn more like airplanes, or
even ground vehicles.
When using this option, the engine requirement of a
starship’s movement orders is determined as follows:
Turns
None

One
Two
Three or UTurn

Engine Requirement
Difference between previous and current
speeds
Difference between previous and current
speeds, plus 1
Difference between previous and current
speeds, plus 3
Difference between previous and current
speeds, plus 6

A starship with a previous speed of 5 has written the
following movement orders: “3P1P(4)”. As a result,
its engine requirement is 4 (5 - 4 = 1 + 3).
A starship may perform one-hexside turns and
sideslips in opposing directions. The effect of
sideslips on a starship’s current engine requirement
and/or speed is unchanged. Slips do not reduce the
cost of future engine requirements as described on
p.17.

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45

This option will make starships significantly more
maneuverable, allowing them to achieve greater
speeds while retaining the ability to change course.
The movement of fighter flights is unchanged by this
option.
It is possible to modify this rule to suit players’ desired
style of play; for example, setting a flat increase of +1
to the engine requirement for each one-hexside turn.
Long-time players may note that such an alteration,
combined with D.2: Etheric Drag (p.44), maximized
so that previous speeds are reduced to zero,
effectively simulates the basic, non-vector movement
system found in previous editions of Starmada.

D.6 Graded Turns
The basic Starmada movement system allows
starships to alter their course as desired, with no “turn
modes” or other restrictions placed upon the timing of
turns. However, in “reality”, the thrust required to
change a ship’s direction of travel would be applied
over the course of the entire Movement Phase,
resulting in more gradual, sweeping turns.
When using this option, a starship must plot its
desired forward movement such that it is equally
distributed between any turns. The number of hexes
moved before and/or after each turn may not vary by
more than ±1. Sideslips and altitude changes (G.6:
Three-Dimensional Play, p.57) count as one hex of
forward movement for this purpose.
For example, “2P1P2(5)” is a valid set of movement
orders, because the lengths of the forward movement
segments (2, 1, 2) are within one of each other.
However, “1LP4(6)” is not valid, because the first
segment (2) is two hexes shorter than the second
segment (4).
When beginning (or ending) a starship’s movement
orders with a turn, there is an “implied zero” preceding
(or following) that turn. Thus, “P2(2)” is not a valid set
of movement orders, because the first forward
movement segment (0) is two hexes shorter than the
second segment (2). The ship would instead need to
write movement orders of “1P1(2)”.
The movement of fighter flights is unchanged by this
option.
It is possible to modify this rule to suit players’ desired
style of play; for example, requiring a certain minimum
of forward movement before each one-hexside turn.

D.7 Rolls
Due to the fact there is no “up” in space, it is not
necessary for starships to retain the same orientation.
It is possible for a ship to “roll” itself so that it is
inverted in relation to the rest of the battlefield.

46

A starship intending to perform a roll records this fact
at the beginning of its movement orders by writing an
“at” sign (@). A roll increases the ship’s engine
requirement by +3: each one-hexside turn included in
the ship’s movement orders reduces this requirement
by -1; three one-hexside turns (or a single u-turn)
allow the ship to roll for “free”. For example, if a ship
with a previous speed of 3 plots movement orders of
“@/2P2(4)”, the engine requirement would be 6
(max{3,4} = 4 + 3 - 1).

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

Rolls do not affect a starship’s speed. Once rolled, a
ship remains inverted until it performs another roll.
The effect of a roll is to reverse the starship’s firing
arcs: [A] becomes [B]; [C] becomes [D]; [E] becomes
[F]; [H] becomes [I]; [J] becomes [K]; and vice versa.
Port and starboard defensive arcs (p.30) are likewise
reversed.
Fighter flights may not perform rolls, nor would they
gain any benefit from doing so.
A starship may not perform a roll while it is cloaked
(B.5: Cloaking Device, p.31) or warming up its B.10:
Hyperdrive (p.33).

D.8 Sequential Movement
Although pre-plotted movement can be beneficial in
speeding up the game, many players may find it more
exciting to move starships sequentially, with each
move conducted while knowing the positions of those
ships moved before.
When using this option, movement orders are not
written down before the Movement Phase. The
Orders Phase is still conducted, but only in regards to
those options which require other information to be
recorded (e.g. B.5: Cloaking Device, p.31, E.6:
Shield Reinforcement, p.50, etc.).
To begin, determine the total number of starships on
each side of the battle. The side with more ships
moves a single ship. Play then alternates between
sides until all ships have been moved.
Side A has eleven starships, while Side B has seven.
Therefore, Side A will move one of its ships, followed
by Side B. They will alternate until Side B has moved
all of its ships, at which time Side A will move its
remaining four ships; this is illustrated by the
following pattern: A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-AA-A-A.
If both sides have the same number of starships, roll
a die to determine which side goes first.
If one side has more than twice as many starships, it
moves two ships at a time; if one side has more than
three times as many ships, it moves three at a time;
and so on.
Side A has three starships, while Side B has seven.
Therefore, Side B will move two of its ships, followed
by Side A. They will alternate until Side A has moved
all of its ships, at which time Side B will move its
remaining ship; this is illustrated by the following
pattern: B-B-A-B-B-A-B-B-A-B.
The ratio between the two sides is only relevant at the
start of the Movement Phase. Thus, if one side begins
with more than twice as many starships as the other,
it will continue to move two (or more) ships at a time
even if the ratio is altered as the phase progresses.

When it comes time for a starship to be moved, the
controlling player proceeds as normal: first,
movement orders are recorded, and then the ship
model is moved on the game board. The difference is
that these actions are conducted at the same time,
instead of in different phases, and the controlling
player knows the location of those ships that have
been moved previously.
A side may not “pass” an opportunity to move a
starship; opposing ships must be moved in the
appropriate sequence. However, each side is allowed
to determine the relative order in which its own
starships are moved; e.g. there is no requirement that
faster ships be moved before slower ones, or vice
versa.
When using sequential movement, stacking (p.16) is
not resolved until all starships have completed their
movement.
If using E.3: Explosions (p.48), the sequential
movement option alters the timing so that a starship
destroyed during its movement (e.g. due to B.15:
Mines, p.34) has its explosion resolved immediately
(i.e. before the next ship conducts its movement).

Random Movement Initiative
Instead of alternating movement as described above,
players may elect to use cards to determine the order
in which starships are moved.
Using an ordinary deck of playing cards, pull out a
number of cards equal to the number of starships on
the board. One side should be designated black, and
the other red; the distribution of cards should mirror
the number of ships on either side.
Side A is designated “red” and has four starships,
while Side B is “black” and has three ships. Therefore,
seven cards are set aside: four red and three black.
Shuffle these cards, and set them face down next to
the game board. The cards are then flipped over, one
at a time. The color of the flipped card determines
which side will act; that side then chooses one of its
starships to move. Once that ship has completed its
movement, another card is flipped over, and so on,
until all ships have moved.

D.9 Towing
A starship may choose to “tow” a friendly ship. (It is
assumed all ships have the necessary tractor beams,
tow cables, or what-have-you in order to perform this
function.) In order to perform a tow, the two ships
must have ended the previous Movement Phase in
the same hex, with the same speed and heading. The
intention to perform a tow is recorded by writing a “T”
at the start of a ship’s movement orders. The ship
being towed does not record any movement orders.
While towing, a starship’s engine rating is reduced
based upon the size of the ship being towed. First,
multiply the tower’s engine rating by its hull size.
Then, divide this by the sum of the two ships’ hull
sizes, rounding up to the next integer. The result is
the tower’s effective engine rating.
A starship of hull size 5 and an engine rating of 7
wishes to tow a second ship of hull size 3. The towing
ship’s effective engine rating while performing the
tow is 5 (5 × 7 ÷ (5+3) = 4.4, rounded up).
While towing, a starship moves normally (with the
reduced engine rating). While being towed, a ship
moves with the towing ship. The towee’s engine rating
cannot be used to “help” the towing ship.
A starship may only tow one other ship at any given
time. Multiple ships may combine forces in order to
tow a single large vessel:


All of the starships involved in the tow must have
ended the previous Movement Phase in the same
hex as the ship to be towed, with the same speed
and heading.



All of the towing starships follow the same
movement orders while conducting the tow.



The effective engine rating of the group is
determined by multiplying each towing starship’s
hull size by its engine rating, adding these
products together, and dividing by the total of all
ships’ hull sizes (rounding up to the next integer).
A starship of hull size 4 with an engine rating of 6
and a ship of hull size 6 with an engine rating of 5
are joining forces to tow a third ship of hull size 10.
The effective engine rating is 3 ((4×6) + (6×5) = 54 ÷
(4+6+10) = 2.7, rounded up).

A tow may be ended simply by no longer recording a
“T” to begin a starship’s movement orders.
Fighter flights may neither tow nor be towed.
A starship may not perform a tow (or be towed) while
it is under cloak (B.5: Cloaking Device, p.31).

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47

APPENDIX E: COMBAT OPTIONS

This appendix provides options which add to the
standard combat process. Some of these rules are
concerned with helping starships find and destroy the
enemy, while others assist ships to better defend
themselves. In a few instances (e.g. E.4: Partial
Victory Points, p.49) the rules modify the manner in
which players determine the victor of a given
scenario.

E.1 Damage Control
This option assumes each starship has a dedicated
corps of crewmembers (or automated systems)
whose function in battle is to repair damage as it is
inflicted. While these repairs are temporary, damage
control efforts can often mean the difference between
life and death.
During each End Phase, a starship may roll a number
of repair dice equal to one-third the number of
remaining hull boxes, rounded up. For example, a
ship with 7 unchecked hull boxes may roll 3 repair
dice (7 ÷ 3 = 2.33, rounded up).
Roll the indicated number of dice, and compare the
result of each to the following chart:
Roll
1-3
4

Result
None: There is no effect.
Engines Repaired: Restore one box on the
starship’s engine track.
Weapons Repaired: Restore one box on the
starship’s weapons track, and regain the use of
the appropriate number of weapons and/or
equipment.
Shields Repaired: Restore one box on the
starship’s shield track.

Directed damage is a method by which players can
influence the effect of weapons fire on the target. This
option can be used by some or all of the weapons
fired by a starship: its use must be stated at the time
targets are declared.
When using the directed damage option, conduct
weapons fire as normal, with the following changes:


The result of each to-hit die is modified by an
additional -1 penalty.



Each damage die can be re-rolled once before its
result takes effect.

In this way, weapons utilizing directed damage will be
less accurate, but there is a greater chance of
inflicting the type of damage desired by the attacking
player.
Fighter flights may not utilize directed damage. A
weapon with the Disruptive trait (C.5: Weapon Traits,
p.41) may not utilize directed damage.

E.3 Explosions
This option requires the use of B.9: Flares (p.33).

Only one box can be restored per track per End
Phase.

As no specific scale is defined for Starmada, the fact
that starships are simply removed from the board
when destroyed should not necessarily raise any
eyebrows: ships would have to be packed pretty
tightly for their passing to have any real impact on one
another. However, sci-fi is rife with images of giant
spacecraft obliterated in a ball of fury, engulfing those
smaller vessels unlucky enough to be within the blast
radius.

When repairing damaged weapons and equipment, a
starship’s loss limits (p.21) may be contravened.
However, those limits remain in force when choosing
weapons due to future damage.

With this option, players can ensure their starships go
out with a bang, instead of a whimper. Whenever a
ship is destroyed, an explosion results, which may
have an impact upon nearby elements.

Only system hits can be repaired in the field (i.e.
engines, weapons, and shields); hull hits must wait
until the starship can reach more sophisticated repair
facilities. Munitions cannot be replenished via damage
control.

Only starships removed from the game due to
accumulated damage will explode; those captured by
B.14: Marines (p.34) or rendered inert by Deadly
weapons (C.5: Weapon Traits, p.41) will not explode.
Ships passing over an event horizon (G.2: Black
Holes, p.55) also will not explode. Fighter flights do
not cause explosions when they are destroyed.

5

6

A Slow weapon (C.5: Weapon Traits, p.42) that is
repaired is considered to have been fired in the
preceding Combat Phase; it must therefore wait until
the second Combat Phase after repair before being
used again.

48

E.2 Directed Damage

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

To resolve an explosion, roll a number of dice equal
to the exploding starship’s hull size. A separate roll is
made for each target within the same or an adjacent
hex. Each die that rolls a 4, 5, or 6 results in one hit
against a target in the same hex as the exploding
ship; against targets in adjacent hexes, a hit is scored
on each result of 5 or 6. If the target is tiny, subtract -1
from the result of each die roll; thus, fighter flights in
an adjacent hex will only be hit by an explosion on
each roll of 6.
Once the explosion is resolved, place a flare marker
face down in the hex previously occupied by the
exploding starship. See B.9: Flares (p.33) for details
on how such markers affect the game.

Explosion Timing
The effects of explosions are resolved at various
times, depending on the cause of the explosion:


If the starship is destroyed due to damage inflicted
during its movement—such as from B.15: Mines
(p.34) or asteroid fields (G.1: Asteroids, p.54)—
the explosion is resolved after all ships (including
the exploding ship) have completed their
movement orders.
If using D.8: Sequential Movement (p.46), the
explosion is resolved after the moving starship
has completed its orders, but before the next ship
activates.



If the starship is destroyed as the result of a
fighter attack, the explosion is resolved
immediately (i.e. before the next fighter flight is
activated).



If the starship is destroyed from enemy weapons
fire, the explosion is resolved during the End
Phase.
If using E.5: Sequential Combat (p.49), the
explosion is resolved after the attacking starship
has completed its attacks, but before the next ship
activates.



If the starship is destroyed by the explosion of
another ship, its explosion is resolved immediately
(a “chain reaction”).

E.4 Partial Victory Points
The standard game has an “all or nothing” approach
to awarding VPs. A starship will only grant VPs to the
opponent once it has been completely destroyed;
even a single hull point remaining will deny any
benefit to the enemy. With this rule, players may
score VPs for damaged targets.




Once a starship checks off its first hull box, the
opposing side receives 10% of the normal VPs.
For example, a ship with a combat rating of 220
awards 22 VPs once a single hull box has been
checked off.
Once a starship loses at least one-third of its hull
boxes (rounded up), the opposing side receives
20% of the normal VPs. For example, a ship of
hull size 10 will grant 20% of its normal VPs to the
opposing side once it has checked off 4 hull boxes
(10 ÷ 3 = 3.33, rounded up).



Once a starship loses at least two-thirds of its hull
boxes (rounded up), the opposing side receives
20% of the normal VPs. For example, a ship of
hull size 13 will grant 20% of its normal VPs to the
opposing side once it has checked off 9 hull boxes
(13 × 2 ÷ 3 = 8.67, rounded up).



Once a starship checks off its final hull box, the
opposing side receives 50% of the normal VPs.

These awards are cumulative; a starship with a
combat rating of 220 would award a total of 110 VPs
once it has checked off at least two-thirds of its hull
boxes (22 + 44 + 44).
In games where B.10: Hyperdrive (p.33) is in use, a
starship that jumps into hyperspace is considered to
have lost two-thirds of its hull boxes for victory
purposes. This means a ship that has lost one-third of
its hull boxes will award 20% of the normal VPs when
jumping into hyperspace, while a ship that has
already lost two-thirds of its hull boxes will award no
additional VPs when entering hyperspace.

E.5 Sequential Combat
By default, the effects of starship weapons fire take
effect simultaneously, at the conclusion of the Combat
Phase. However, it is possible to change this, making
the order in which ships conduct their attacks much
more important.
With this option, the damage from each starship’s
attacks is applied immediately. A ship must still
declare its targets prior to rolling any dice, which
means it cannot shift its fire to a secondary target if
the first is destroyed; however, ships that are
destroyed before they make their own attacks will be
unable to return fire. Likewise, weapons that are
damaged prior to their ship’s attacks cannot be used.
If using E.3: Explosions (p.48), the sequential
combat option alters the timing so that a starship
destroyed by enemy weapons fire has its explosion
resolved immediately (i.e. before the next ship
resolves its attacks).

Random Combat Initiative
Instead of alternating combat as described on p.18,
players may elect to use cards to determine the order
in which starships make their attacks.
Using an ordinary deck of playing cards, pull out a
number of cards equal to the number of starships on
the board. One side should be designated black, and
the other red; the distribution of cards should mirror
the number of ships on either side.
Side A is designated “red” and has four starships,
while Side B is “black” and has three ships. Therefore,
seven cards are set aside: four red and three black.
Shuffle these cards, and set them face down next to
the game board. The cards are then flipped over, one
at a time. The color of the flipped card determines
which side will act; that side then chooses one of its
starships to make its attacks. Once that ship has
completed its attacks, another card is flipped over,
and so on, until all ships have attacked.

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E.6 Shield Reinforcement
In “essential” Starmada, the assumption is that a
starship’s shield rating protects it uniformly regardless
of the direction from which an attack originates.
However, some settings may allow a ship to alter the
orientation of its defenses as the situation demands.
With this option, a starship may focus its shield rating
towards one of the four defensive arcs (p.30):
forward, port, starboard, or aft. This decision is made
during the Orders Phase, and should be recorded in
the game turn record. The effect of shield
reinforcement is to add +1 to the shield rating against
any attacks originating from the indicated defensive
arc, and subtract -1 from the shield rating against
attacks originating from the opposing arc.
A battleship with a shield rating of 3 has reinforced
the forward defensive arc. This means attacks from
that direction are made against a shield rating of 4,
while attacks from the aft defensive arc are made
against a shield rating of 2.
Starships with a current shield rating of either zero or
5 cannot make use of this option. A ship with B.7:
Directional Shielding (p.32) may not use this option
if the arc to be reinforced has a shield rating of 5 or
the opposing arc has a shield rating of 0.

E.7 Target Acquisition
In the standard game, it is assumed all starships
begin the battle with targeting solutions for all
potential targets. With this option, ships are required
to identify and “tag” their targets for attacks to be
effective. A target is considered “tagged” if it has a
face-up TAG marker next to its model.

It is assumed that all starships are equipped with
target acquisition gear (TAGs); therefore, their
presence is not noted on the display sheet. The
number of TAGs available to each ship is dependent
upon its hull size:
Hull Size
1-3
4-8
9-15
16-24
25-35

Number of TAGs
One
Two
Three
Four
Five

Attempts to tag targets are made during the Combat
Phase, at the same time starships make their attacks.
Each TAG may be used on a separate target, or
multiple TAGs may be devoted to a single target to
increase the odds of success. Either way, all targets
must be declared before any dice are rolled. There
are no firing arc restrictions; however, the attacking
ship must have a line of sight to the target (p.19).
Roll three dice for each TAG and add the results
together; if the total is equal to or greater than the
distance to the target (in hexes), the target has been
tagged. Place a TAG marker face down next to the
target. During the End Phase, remove all face-up
TAG markers and flip all face-down markers to face
up.
Multiple TAGs can be aimed at a single target;
however, double- or triple-tagging a target has no
further effect.
Instead of rolling to determine whether a TAG has
located its target, players may simply allow each
starship to place a TAG marker next to any number of
targets up to the limits given above, without the need
to roll for success. A ship may only automatically tag
targets within 10 hexes.
Attacks can still be made against non-tagged targets;
however, the distance to the target is doubled; e.g. a
target four hexes away would be treated as eight
hexes distant for range purposes.

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APPENDIX F: FIGHTER OPTIONS

Starmada is primarily concerned with battles between
major combat vessels; however, fighter flights can be
a decisive factor in any engagement. This appendix
contains several options for players to expand the role
of fighters in their games.

F.1 Combat Space Patrol
Combat space patrol is a mission that can be
assigned to fighters in order to protect against
opposing fighters. Similar to the wet-navy concept of
combat air patrol, combat space patrol involves
placing fighters in position to react to an enemy’s
approach.
Instead of activating normally, a fighter flight can be
placed on combat space patrol (CSP). A CSP marker
is placed next to the flight’s model, and the flight is
considered “on station”. A flight remains on station
until it makes an interception (see below) or until its
next activation, at which time it may activate normally
or remain on station.
Whenever a fighter flight moves into a new hex, any
one opposing flight currently on station may interrupt
its movement to intercept. The intercepting flight is
moved to any allowable hex adjacent to the target and
makes an attack (or initiates a F.2: Dogfight, p.51) as
normal; the only restriction is that a flight cannot use
more than one-half its available movement allowance
(MA) in order to intercept; i.e. a standard fighter flight
can use up to 4MA to make an interception. If it
cannot reach its target, the interception does not take
place, and the flight remains on station.
If the intercepted flight survives this attack, it may
continue its activation; however, another interception
can be made each time the flight enters a new hex.
The intercepting flight is taken off station, and may not
be activated again in the current Fighter Phase.
B.20: Shuttlecraft (p.37) and seeker flights (C.4:
Seeking Weapons, p.40) cannot be placed on
station, although they can be intercepted.

F.2 Dogfights
Instead of making an attack against a target in an
adjacent hex, fighter flights may be given the option of
closing to point-blank range with an enemy flight; this
is called “dogfighting”.
In order to initiate a dogfight, a fighter flight simply
moves into the same hex as a single enemy flight,
and attacks normally. (This is an exception to rule 5.3:
Fighter Movement, p.22, which states a flight may
not end its move in the same hex as an opposing
flight.)

Only two flights may be involved in a single dogfight;
one from either side. The difference between a
dogfight and a standard attack is that the flights
involved become “pinned”; i.e. a flight may not move
out of a dogfight until the opposing flight has been
eliminated. A flight involved in a dogfight may not
attack any target other than its opponent in the
dogfight.
If a starship ends its movement in the same hex as a
dogfight, the opposing fighter flight must move out of
the hex, breaking off the dogfight. A flight cannot
initiate a dogfight against an opposing ship.
Fighter flights involved in a dogfight may not perform
F.3: Fighter Screens (p.51). If the target of a dogfight
was already screening, the screen is canceled
immediately.
B.20: Shuttlecraft (p.37) and seeker flights (C.4:
Seeking Weapons, p.40) may not initiate dogfights,
although shuttles may be pinned by one. Seeker
flights may not be pinned.

F.3 Fighter Screens
Fighter flights may, instead of making an attack,
provide cover for friendly forces by performing
screening. When screening, fighters use their
electronic systems to “jam” an area of space.
To perform screening with a fighter flight, the
controlling player declares this fact at the end of the
flight’s movement, and places a screen marker in the
hex occupied by the flight.
Screening fighter flights force all attacks made
through their hex (even friendly attacks) to suffer a tohit penalty; the magnitude of this penalty depends
upon the number of individual fighters in the flight:
Number of Fighters
1-3
4-9
10-15
16+

Penalty
None
-1
-2
-3

Multiple flights may combine their efforts by screening
in the same hex; the total number of fighters in all
flights is used to determine the to-hit penalty. For
example, a flight with one remaining fighter and
another with three remaining fighters may both
perform screening in the same hex to achieve a -1 tohit penalty (four total fighters).

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If the line of sight (p.19) crosses through multiple
hexes containing fighter screens, apply only the
greatest applicable penalty, not the sum; e.g. if the
line of sight crosses through one hex containing 10
screening fighters and another containing 5 screening
fighters, the to-hit penalty would be -2, not -3.
Flights involved in F.2: Dogfights (p.51) may not
perform fighter screens. If the target of a dogfight was
already screening, the screen is canceled
immediately.
B.20: Shuttlecraft (p.37) and seeker flights (C.4:
Seeking Weapons, p.40) may not engage in
screening. If using G.6: Three-Dimensional Play
(p.57), fighter screens exist at all altitude levels.

F.4 Fighter Variants
In the standard Starmada game, all fighter flights
have the same capabilities. With this option, players
can allow for some differentiation between fighters to
provide some variety and tactical consideration. The
variants described below can be “swapped” out on a
one-for-one basis with standard fighter flights; there is
no impact on the carrier’s combat rating. Multiple
variants cannot be combined; e.g. “Heavy Bombers”
are not allowed.
There is no game-balance reason why the exact
contents of a carrier must be fixed at the time of
design. Theoretically, a starship with a fighter capacity
of 10 could, for example, field ten flights of standard
fighters in one battle and then switch to five flights of
bombers and five flights of interceptors for the next.
The combat rating of the ship will remain unchanged
in either case.

Assault fighters are furnished with extremely powerful
weapons, meant to smash through the opposing
fighter screen and inflict heavy damage on enemy
starships. Assault flights roll two dice per individual
fighter when making an attack, instead of just one.
Assault flights begin the game with four individual
fighters, instead of six.

Bombers
Bombers are primarily intended to engage enemy
starships; while this makes them more effective in that
role, they are not as useful against enemy fighters.
When attacking a ship, bomber flights score hits on
rolls of 4, 5, or 6; however, against opposing fighter
flights, they only score hits on rolls of 6.
Bomber flights begin the game with five individual
bombers, instead of six.

Heavy Fighters
Heavy fighters are significantly tougher than standard
fighters, either due to energy shielding, armor plating,
or sheer size. Whenever a hit is scored on a heavy
fighter flight, roll a die: on a result of 4-6, the hit is
ignored. If a heavy fighter flight is struck by a weapon
with IMP>1, the saving throw is modified by -1 per
additional point of IMP; e.g. a weapon with IMP 3
incurs a -2 penalty. Any unmodified saving throw of 6
is successful, regardless of modifiers.
Heavy fighter flights begin the game with four
individual fighters instead of six.

Interceptors

However, in a campaign (such as those described in
Appendix T: Campaigns, p.65), players may find it
“unrealistic” for a carrier to alter its capacity in such a
manner. Therefore, when starting a campaign,
players must decide among themselves with what
level of detail each carrier’s capacity must be defined.
Among the options are:

Interceptors are primarily intended to engage enemy
fighter flights; while this makes them more effective in
that role, they are not as useful against enemy
starships. When attacking a fighter flight, interceptor
flights score hits on rolls of 4, 5, or 6; however,
against opposing ships, they only score hits on rolls of
6.

1) Allow a carrier to field fighter flights in whatever
combination desired at the start of any given
battle.

Interceptor flights begin the game with five individual
interceptors, instead of six.

2) Allow a carrier to define the general breakdown of
its capacity at the start of the campaign (e.g.
“Fighters (6); Bombers (4)”) and retain this
distribution for the remainder of the campaign.

Light fighters are more fragile than standard fighters,
and prone to blow up in groups. Each time a light
fighter is destroyed, roll a die; on a 1-2, a second
fighter is also eliminated from the flight. (This
additional loss does not trigger another roll.)

3) Require a carrier to define the general breakdown
of its capacity at the time of construction.
So long as all sides are subject to the same
restrictions, there is no reason why any of the above
options—or any other solution devised by players—
should be preferable to another within the Starmada
game.
B.20: Shuttlecraft (p.37) and seeker flights (C.4:
Seeking Weapons, p.40) may not be designated as
variants.

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Light Fighters

Light fighter flights begin the game with seven
individual fighters, instead of six.

F.5 Launch & Recovery
In the basic rules, fighter flights begin the game on
the board, already launched and ready for action. In
addition, the time frame represented by the typical
Starmada game is not long enough to require fighters
to return to their base of operation and refuel or
rearm. Therefore, fighter launch and recovery will only
be performed under certain conditions or as required
by individual options or scenarios.

Fighter flights are launched during the End Phase.
Flights are placed in the same hex as the launching
starship, facing in any direction desired. Launched
flights may be activated during the next game turn’s
Fighter Phase.
Fighter flights are recovered during the Fighter Phase.
During the movement portion of its action, a flight
must move into the hex containing its carrier. As it
moves into this hex, the flight is removed from the
board, and is now considered to be on the carrier. A
starship cannot recover any flight that would cause it
to exceed its fighter capacity.
The maximum number of fighter flights that can be
launched and recovered by a starship in a single
Fighter Phase is determined by its hull size:
Hull Size
1-3
4-8
9-15
16-24
25-35

Launch Max
One
Two
Three
Four
Five

Recovery Max
One
One
Two
Two
Three

A given fighter flight may not be recovered and then
re-launched in the same game. B.20: Shuttlecraft
(p.37) may be recovered; each recovered shuttle
counts as one “flight” for the purpose of recovery
limits. Seeker flights (C.4: Seeking Weapons, p.40)
may not be recovered.

F.6 Long Range Fighters
Long range (or “deep space”) fighters are equipped
with hyperdrives, allowing them to travel interstellar
distances on their own, without the need for a carrier
to house them.
Long range fighters (LRFs) are treated like fighters in
every way, and may be modified as described in F.4:
Fighter Variants (p.52). LRFs have a combat rating
and VP value of 60.
B.20: Shuttlecraft (p.37) and seeker flights (C.4:
Seeking Weapons, p.40) may not be purchased as
LRFs.

Hyperspace
LRFs may enter hyperspace (B.10: Hyperdrive,
p.33); however, they use a different procedure than
starships. When activated during the Fighter Phase,
an LRF flight wishing to enter hyperspace rolls one
die; if the result is a 5 or 6, the flight is removed from
the board and considered to be in hyperspace.
Otherwise, the attempt fails, and the flight must wait
until the next End Phase to try again. A flight that fails
its hyperspace attempt may not conduct any turns,
sideslips, or changes in altitude (G.6: ThreeDimensional Play, p.57) during its activation. As with
ships, an LRF flight that enters hyperspace awards
the opposing side 50% of its normal VPs.

F.7 Random Fighter Initiative
This option replaces rule 5.2: The Fighter Phase
(p.22).
Fighter flights move and attack during a separate
phase, called (unsurprisingly) the Fighter Phase. This
phase occurs between the Movement and Combat
Phases.
To begin the Fighter Phase, determine the total
number of fighter flights on each side of the battle.
Using an ordinary deck of playing cards, pull out a
number of cards equal to the number of fighter flights
on the board. One side should be designated black,
and the other red; the distribution of cards should
mirror the number of fighter flights on either side.
Side A is designated “red” and has four fighter
flights, while Side B is “black” and has three fighter
flights. Therefore, seven cards are set aside: four red
and three black.
Shuffle these cards, and set them face down next to
the game board. The cards are then flipped over, one
at a time. The color of the flipped card determines
which side will act; that side then chooses one of its
fighter flights to activate. Once that flight has moved
and attacked, another card is flipped over, and so on,
until all flights have acted.
When activated, a fighter flight is first moved across
the game board, after which it may attack a single
target, as described in rules 5.3: Fighter Movement
(p.22) and 5.4: Fighters in Combat (p.23). Each
flight may only be activated once per Fighter Phase.

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APPENDIX G: TERRAIN

Although space is very, very big, it is not completely
empty. The matter strewn about the cosmos can take
any number of interesting forms, very few of which
are welcomed by starship crews, who would much
rather zip through the universe unimpeded.
Unfortunately, starship captains will often have to
account for terrain, as it tends to crop up where the
important stuff (mining outposts, population centers,
etc.) can be found. Terrain in space can be as small
as dust particles and asteroids, or as large as black
holes and nebulae.

Asteroid fields are defined by their size, expressed as
a number from 1 to 5. The center of each asteroid
field is indicated by a marker placed on the game
board; the field extends in all directions for a number
of hexes equal to its size. For example, the illustration
below shows the area covered by a size-3 asteroid
field:

The primary difficulty with including terrain in
Starmada is that a precisely-defined game scale has
been consciously avoided. Therefore, the terrain
scale is arbitrary, varies between terrain types, and is
thus not very realistic. But it is functional and fun,
adding a tactical dimension to the game (which is
ultimately the point).
If using G.6: Three-Dimensional Play (p.57), terrain
exists at all altitude levels.

G.1 Asteroids
Asteroids can be represented in the game in two
different ways. Either or both may be present in a
given battle.

Asteroid
An individual asteroid is a large chuck of rock and/or
ice, relatively isolated from its peers. There will only
be a few asteroids present in any given game; as
such, this option is more “realistic” than the asteroid
field (below). This option can also be used to simulate
other small celestial bodies, such as moons or minor
planets.
Each asteroid is represented by a marker occupying a
single hex on the game board. No element may
(safely) enter a hex containing an asteroid; any that
does so is immediately destroyed. In addition, any
hex containing an asteroid blocks line of sight (p.19).

Asteroid Field
Asteroid fields are more consistent with the cinematic
view of asteroids; a maelstrom of whirling death, with
hundreds (if not thousands) of rocks, large and small,
spinning and colliding with each other in a relatively
small area of space.

Each time a starship enters a hex within an asteroid
field, roll a die; if the result is a 5 or 6, a hit is scored
on that ship. Fighter flights are similarly attacked,
although they only suffer hits on rolls of 6. No
modifiers are applied to these rolls. Ships currently
under cloak (B.5: Cloaking Device, p.31) are subject
to these attacks, although the effects are deferred
until the ship either uncloaks or is detected. The IMP
and DMG values for asteroid field hits are each 1.
If an element enters a hex within two or more asteroid
fields, the number of dice rolled is increased
accordingly; e.g. if a starship moves into a hex within
two overlapping fields, two dice would be rolled.
Damage from asteroid fields is applied immediately
(i.e. do not wait until the End Phase). However, a
starship will always complete its movement orders,
regardless of any engine hits that might result.
If the moving starship has B.7: Directional Shielding
(p.32) or directional screens (B.18: Screens, p.36),
hits from asteroids are applied against the forward
defensive arc (p.30). B.22: Stealth (p.37) has no
effect on asteroid field “attacks”.

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If using E.3: Explosions (p.48), a starship destroyed
by an asteroid field has its explosion resolved at the
conclusion of its movement, rather than during the
End Phase.
Starship weapons fired through an asteroid field incur
a -1 penalty to the result of each to-hit die per hex in
the field through which the line of sight (p.19) is
traced. Overlapping asteroid fields do not have a
cumulative effect for this purpose; e.g. if the line of
sight crosses through a hex within two overlapping
asteroid fields, the penalty is -1, not -2.

G.2 Black Holes
A black hole is a point in space where gravitational
forces are so severe that the normal laws of physics
break down. Once an object has passed beyond the
“event horizon”, or the observable limit of the black
hole’s effects, it has for all practical purposes left the
known universe.
The actual “black hole” is indicated by a marker
located within a single hex; however, the event
horizon extends in all directions for a number of hexes
equal to its size, expressed as a number from 1 to 5.
Any element that enters the event horizon is
immediately destroyed. If using E.3: Explosions
(p.48), a starship that enters the event horizon does
not explode. All hexes within the event horizon block
line of sight (p.19).
Black holes should not be used in the same game as
other terrain, as any asteroids, planets, etc. would
have long ago been consumed by the black hole.

Gravitational Pull

In the above example, a starship is five hexes away
from a size-2 black hole, requiring it to be moved
two hexes closer to the black hole’s center. The
controlling player has a choice of moving into hex V
or W, since either would bring the ship closer to the
center of the black hole. If the ship is first moved into
hex V, the player would have a choice whether to
move into hex X or Y; if the ship were first moved into
hex W, the next move would have to be into either
hex Y or Z.

Unlike other forms of terrain, black holes exert a pull
on elements, making them exceptionally dangerous. It
is not enough to merely avoid steering into the event
horizon; players must also account for the
gravitational effects of the black hole.

Elements closest to the black hole should be moved
first, with those further away moved in ascending
order. If opposing elements are equidistant from the
black hole, roll a die to determine which side moves
its elements first.

During each End Phase, any element within a black
hole’s gravitational pull is moved towards the black
hole. The degree of this movement depends on two
factors: the size of the black hole, and the distance
between the center of the black hole and the element,
as shown in the following chart. A result of “X”
indicates the element has been drawn inside the
event horizon, and is destroyed.

An element cannot end this movement in a hex
occupied by an opposing element. If this is
unavoidable, the element must be moved another hex
closer to the black hole.

Distance
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9-10
11-13
14-17
18-22
23+

1
X
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Size of Black Hole
2
3
4
X
X
X
2
X
X
1
X
X
1
2
X
1
1
3
0
1
2
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0

5
X
X
X
3
2
1
1
0

Each hex moved by an element during this process
must bring it closer to the center of the black hole. If
there is a choice between two hexes into which the
element can be moved to satisfy this requirement, the
decision is up to the controlling player.

Starships moved by a black hole’s gravitational pull
retain their heading.
If using B.15: Mines (p.34), minefields will also be
pulled towards the black hole. If there is a choice
between two hexes into which a minefield can be
moved, roll a die to randomly determine its
destination. As with elements, minefields are removed
from the board once they cross the event horizon.
Elements do not take damage during this process;
minefields and elements are pulled along at the same
rate.

G.3 Comets
A comet is a giant ball of ice that heats up when it
enters the vicinity of a star, causing it to outgas and
develop a long “tail” of dust and vapor. In the game,
comets are made up of three distinct parts: the
nucleus, the coma, and the tail.

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A starship with a shield rating of 4 is struck by
enemy weapons fire, scoring three hits. Three dice
are rolled, coming up 3, 4, and 5. Normally, this
would result in only one point of impact; however,
because the battle is being fought inside a nebula, all
even results automatically succeed. Thus, the impact
roll of 4 penetrates the shields, scoring a second
point of impact.
If a battle is taking place inside a nebula, all cloaked
starships are automatically detected (B.5: Cloaking
Device, p.31).

G.5 Planets
Nucleus
A comet’s nucleus is represented on the game board
by a marker occupying a single hex. The pointed end
of the marker is oriented in the direction of the
comet’s tail (see below). No element may (safely)
enter a hex containing a comet’s nucleus; any that
does so is immediately destroyed. In addition, a
comet’s nucleus blocks line of sight (p.19).

Coma
A comet’s coma consists of the six hexes adjacent to
its nucleus. Starship weapons incur a -1 to-hit penalty
per hex of coma through which the line of sight (p.19)
is drawn.
A comet’s coma has no effect on movement.
However, a cloaked starship that enters a cometary
coma is automatically detected (B.5: Cloaking
Device, p.31).

Tail
A comet’s tail consists of a line of hexes extending
from the nucleus (determine the direction randomly
before the scenario begins). If using B.21: Solar
Sails (p.37), the comet’s tail extends in the direction
of the solar wind. Starship weapons incur a -1 to-hit
penalty per hex of tail through which the line of sight
(p.19) is drawn.

A planet is any celestial body that is large enough to
have been formed into a sphere by its own gravity,
but not so large as to have initiated fusion reactions at
its core (i.e. become a star).
In Starmada, planets are defined by their size,
expressed as a number from 1 to 5. The center of a
planet is indicated by a marker placed on the game
board; the planet extends in all directions for a
number of hexes equal to its size.
No element may (safely) enter a hex within a planet;
any that does so is immediately destroyed. All hexes
within a planet block line of sight (p.19).

Orbiting
Whenever a starship is located in a hex adjacent to a
planet, and is heading towards another hex adjacent
to the same planet, the ship may initiate an orbit.
While in orbit, the ship is moved around the planet,
turning as necessary, but is considered to be moving
in a straight line; i.e. one-hexside turns are “free” for
an orbiting ship, provided the turns are required to
maintain the orbit.
In its movement orders, the orbital portion of a
starship’s movement should be indicated by placing a
number in brackets: e.g. “1[6]1(8)” would indicate that
the ship is to move one hex forward (initiating orbit),
orbit for six hexes, and then move one hex forward
(breaking orbit), as shown below:

A comet’s tail has no effect on movement. However, a
cloaked starship that enters a cometary tail is
automatically detected (B.5: Cloaking Device, p.31).

G.4 Nebulae
A nebula is an enormous cloud of plasma and protostellar material. This material interferes with starship
shields and significantly reduces their effectiveness.
A nebula is not represented on the game board; it is
assumed to encompass the entire playing area. When
fighting inside a nebula, all ranges are increased by
50% (rounded up). For example, a target seven hexes
away would be treated as if it were at range 11 (7 +
3.5 = 10.5, rounded up). Starships equipped with
B.13: Long Range Sensors (p.33) counteract this
effect, but do not further reduce the effective range to
the target.
In addition, any even impact roll (p.20) automatically
succeeds, regardless of the target’s shield rating.

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A starship is never required to initiate an orbit, and
may break orbit at any time. Fighter flights cannot
orbit a planet (nor would they gain any benefit from
doing so).

G.6 Three-Dimensional Play
While it is easier to ignore the fact that space is threedimensional and just play Starmada in two
dimensions, the rules given here allow players to add
a new wrinkle to their games. Although this option
does not introduce a type of “terrain”, per se, it does
affect the playing environment, and so it was included
in this appendix.
When playing in three dimensions, each element
must keep track of its “altitude”, or its Z-axis position
relative to the other elements in the game. This can
be done by placing a die next to each model; the
number facing up on the die gives the element’s
current altitude. (Be sure to use dice of a different
color and/or size for this purpose to prevent players
from accidentally picking them up to roll.)
This means there are seven altitude levels; 0 through
6 (zero is indicated by removing the altitude die).
Players who wish to expand the number of levels
available will need to find another method of recording
each element’s current altitude. Unless otherwise
indicated by the scenario, all elements begin the
game at altitude level 3.

Fighter flights may change altitude by one level for
each hex moved; each level changed counts as
having moved an additional hex. For example, a flight
that moves five hexes while descending three levels
of altitude is considered to have moved a total of eight
hexes (5 + 3).
Restrictions on opposing elements within the same
hex still apply when playing in three dimensions; e.g.
if two unfriendly starships end their movement in the
same hex, the procedure described on p.16 must be
followed, even if the ships are at different altitude
levels.
A starship may not change altitude while it is warming
up its B.10: Hyperdrive (p.33). Similarly, an LRF
(F.6: Long Range Fighters, p.53) may not change
altitude in the same Fighter Phase in which it attempts
to enter hyperspace.

Combat in Three Dimensions
When a starship makes an attack against a target at a
different altitude level than its own, the range is
determined by the sum of the distance in hexes and
the difference in altitude or twice the difference in
altitude, whichever is greater.

If using B.9: Flares (p.33), B.15: Mines (p.34), F.3:
Fighter Screens (p.51), or any of the other options in
Appendix G: Terrain (p.54), obstructions to line of
sight (p.19) and/or movement obstacles are
considered to exist at all altitude levels. (This is a
necessary, if crude, abstraction.)

Movement in Three Dimensions
Starship altitude changes are included in the ship’s
movement orders: an increase in altitude is indicated
by an upwards arrow (), while a decrease is
indicated by a downwards arrow (). Each altitude
change moves the ship forward one hex, adds +2 to
the ship’s speed, and adds an additional +1 to the
engine requirement.
A starship with a previous speed of 5 plots movement
orders of “1S1(4)”. The ship will therefore move
forward two hexes, turn one hexside to starboard,
and move forward one more hex, while decreasing
its altitude by one level. The engine requirement is 6
(max{5,4} = 5 + 1).
A starship may not change altitude without also
moving forward.

In the above illustration, the distance between Ship
(A) and Ship (B) is the same as the distance between
Ship (A) and Ship (C); in both cases, the range is 6.
Ship (A) is four hexes away from Ship (B); the
altitude difference is two levels: 4 + 2 = 6.
Ship (A) is two hexes away from Ship (C); the
altitude difference is three levels: 3 × 2 = 6.
Two elements are considered “adjacent” only if they
are in adjacent hexes on the game board and are at
the same altitude.

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APPENDIX S: SCENARIOS

It is always fun to blow things up, but warriors must
sometimes aim for more than mindless destruction.
This section presents a dozen different scenarios;
each introduces a new wrinkle or tactical challenge.
Players should play at least a few standard games
(p.11) before trying these out.
Scenarios have the following characteristics:

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

Forces: A brief description of the opposing sides,
and suggested motivation for each. These
scenarios are balanced, meaning each side has
roughly equal chance of victory, and there is no
inherent advantage to playing one side over the
other.



Setup: Each scenario has specific guidelines for
how and where the opposing fleets are to be
deployed.



Special Rules: Any rules for the scenario that are
outside the typical game of Starmada.



Victory: The method(s) by which victory points
may be earned, and the number of VPs required
for one side or the other to claim victory.

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It is possible to adjust the size of each scenario for a
longer or shorter game. Just make sure both sides’
fleet limits and the VP target are adjusted by the
same factor. For example, if the fleet limit is 1000,
and either side can claim victory by scoring 600 VPs,
a longer scenario can be conducted by increasing
each of these values by 50%. The fleet limit would
become 1500, while the VP target would become 900.
Players may elect to randomly determine a scenario
by rolling one die twice in succession to achieve a
number from 11-66, reading the first roll as “tens” and
the second as “ones”. For example, a roll of 3
followed by 2 would become “32”. Then consult the
chart below:
Roll
11-12
13-14
15-16
21-22
23-24
25-26
31-32
33-34
35-36
41-42
43-44
45-46
51-66

Scenario
S.1: Alone in the Dark
S.2: Breakout
S.3: The Chase
S.4: Fleet Action
S.5: Hide & Seek
S.6: Hit & Run
S.7: On Patrol
S.8: The Shakedown Cruise
S.9: Storms in Space
S.10: Tin Can Dustup
S.11: To the Rescue
S.12: The Trap
None. Play a standard scenario as described
on p.11.

S.1 Alone in the Dark

S.2 Breakout

Forces

Forces

Attacker: Opportunities like this don’t arise very often.
You have isolated a lone enemy starship,
outnumbered and outgunned—a victory just waiting to
be claimed. Take care, however: overconfidence has
ended the careers (and lives) of many before you.

Attacker: You have blockaded an enemy stronghold,
and are now awaiting the assault ships, setting the
stage for a full-scale invasion.

Fleet Limit: Twice the combat rating of the enemy
starship (see below).

Defender: Your base of operations has been
encircled by opposing forces. Rather than take a
defensive posture, your orders are to break out into
the enemy rear and link up with reinforcements in
hopes of breaking the siege.

Defender: Your starship has become separated from
its task force. Now an enemy squadron looms in your
viewports. It will take all your skills to survive the day!

Fleet Limit: 1200

Fleet Limit: 800

Fleet Limit: One starship, with a combat rating
between 400-600.

Setup

Setup

The attacking side deploys first, followed by the
defending side, in the areas shown below:

Set up as for a standard scenario (p.12). The
attacking side deploys first, followed by the defending
side.

Special Rules
There are no special rules for this scenario.

Special Rules

Victory

There are no special rules for this scenario.

The attacking side receives VPs as normal.

Victory

The defending side receives VPs as normal. In
addition, each defending ship that moves off the
game board via the attacking side’s edge awards VPs
to the defending side, not the attacking side.

Do not award VPs normally. Instead, the game is
played until only one side has elements remaining on
the table.
If at least 80% of the attacking side’s starting force
remains (as determined by total combat rating), it is a
major victory for the attacking side. If at least 40% of
the attacking side’s starting force remains, it is a
minor victory.

Either side may claim victory once 500 VPs have
been earned.

If less than 40% of the attacking side’s starting force
remains, the defending side can claim a minor victory.
A major victory for the defending side results if the
entire attacking force has been destroyed.

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S.3 The Chase

S.4 Fleet Action

Forces

Forces

Attacker: You have caught up to the rear guard of an
enemy convoy. They are cut off from the main body of
their fleet; strike now and make a name for yourself!

The ultimate goal of any wartime Admiral is to engage
and destroy the enemy fleet. As meetings between
two large forces are rare, it is important to seize the
opportunity when it presents itself. More often than
not, victory in these battles goes to the side that
draws first blood.

Fleet Limit: 1200
Defender: Trying to maintain watch on some
straggling merchant ships, you have fallen behind the
rest of your force. Now, enemy starships have
surprised you from behind! Can you escape without
compounding your error through the loss of any
ships?

Each side has a fleet limit of 2000.

Setup
Set up as for a standard scenario (p.12).

Fleet Limit: 800

Setup
The game board is 50% longer than that used in a
standard scenario (p.12). The attacking side sets up
first, followed by the defending side, in the areas
shown below:

Special Rules
There are no special rules for this scenario.

Special Rules
There are no special rules for this scenario.

Victory
The attacking side receives VPs as normal.
The defending side receives VPs as normal. In
addition, each defending starship that moves off the
game board via the edge opposite the attacking side
awards VPs to the defending side, not the attacking
side.
Either side may claim victory once 500 VPs have
been earned.

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Victory
Each side receives VPs as normal. In addition, the
first starship to be destroyed (by either side) is worth
three times the normal amount of VPs. The second
ship destroyed is worth twice the normal amount of
VPs.
Either side may claim victory once 1200 VPs have
been earned.

S.5 Hide & Seek

S.6 Hit & Run

Forces

Forces

Deep space is littered with uncharted areas full of
asteroids and other debris. These make navigation
hazardous, and can turn a standard meeting
engagement into a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Attacker: You have entered an enemy system with
the intent of causing as much havoc as possible.
Strike quickly and get out!

Each side has a fleet limit of 1400.

Setup
Set up as for a standard scenario (p.12). In addition,
scatter a dozen asteroid markers within the area
marked below:

Fleet Limit: 1000
Defender: Your fleet has been engaged by a smaller
force intent on disrupting preparations for a major
offensive. Their efforts will be futile, of course—but
care must be taken to eliminate as many of the
enemy as possible before they can escape.
Fleet Limit: 1400

Setup
Set up as for a standard scenario (p.12).

Special Rules
Asteroid markers affect the game as described in rule
G.1: Asteroids (p.54).

Victory

Special Rules

Each side receives VPs as normal.

There are no special rules for this scenario.

Either side may claim victory once 700 VPs are
scored.

Victory
The attacking side receives full VPs when an
opposing ship loses more than half its starting hull
hits, but does not receive any additional VPs when an
opposing ship is destroyed. Do not use E.4: Partial
Victory Points (p.49) for the attacking side.
The defending side receives VPs as normal.
Either side may claim victory once 600 VPs have
been earned.

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S.7 On Patrol

S.8 The Shakedown Cruise

Forces

Forces

Attacker: You have stumbled upon an inferior enemy
detachment. Hopefully, you can destroy them in detail
before they rejoin the rest of their fleet.

Attacker: Technology is improving at incredible
speeds. Testing takes time, and the Admiralty wants
results now. Your newest design’s potential can only
be achieved in a trial by fire.

Fleet Limit: 1400
Defender: Your scouting patrol has encountered a
larger enemy force. Standing orders require you to
flee, but honor is at stake!
Fleet Limit: 1000

Setup
Set up as for a standard scenario (p.12).

Fleet Limit: 1200; at least one ship must have a
combat rating ≥300
Defender: The enemy has launched its latest
warship. It must not be allowed to return to base!
Fleet Limit: 900

Setup
Set up as for a standard scenario (p.12).

Special Rules
There are no special rules for this scenario.

Victory
The attacking side receives VPs as normal.
The defending side receives VPs as normal. In
addition, each defending starship that moves off the
game board via the defending side’s edge awards
VPs to the defending side, not the attacking side—but
only after the defending side has already earned at
least 100 VPs for destroying enemy forces.
Either side may claim victory once 600 VPs have
been earned.

Special Rules
The starship on the attacking side with the highest
combat rating is considered the “prototype” (in case of
a tie, the controlling side may choose). After the
prototype declares its first attacks of the game, but
before any of those attacks are resolved, roll one die:
Roll
1

2
3-4
5
6

Result
The starship has maintenance issues which
severely hamper its performance. Apply a -1
modifier to all of its to-hit rolls.
As above, plus immediately decrease the
starship’s engine rating by 1.
The starship performs as expected; no special
rules apply.
The starship is much more effective than
anticipated. Apply a +1 modifier to all of its to-hit
rolls.
As above, plus immediately increase the
starship’s engine rating by 1.

Victory
The attacking side receives VPs as normal.
The defending side receives VPs as normal, with the
exception that double VPs are scored for destroying
the prototype.
Either side may claim victory once 500 VPs have
been earned.

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S.9 Storms in Space

S.10 Tin Can Dustup

Forces

Forces

Many wonders await those brave enough to explore
the reaches of the universe. These same wonders
also make space battles an unpredictable affair. In
certain localized areas, the fabric of space itself
becomes disrupted, with eddies and currents that play
havoc with starship operations.

Historians may be fascinated by battleships, but as
often as not, history is made by the little guys, doing
the work deemed too dangerous for the more
prestigious (and more expensive) ships.

Each side has a fleet limit of 1000.

Setup
Set up as for a standard scenario (p.12).

And that is just fine with you: these hulls weren’t built
to sit around and gather dust.
Each side has a fleet limit of 1200; however, no
individual ship may have a combat rating higher than
150.

Setup
Set up as for a standard scenario (p.12).

Special Rules
During each End Phase, roll a die: the result
determines whether the subsequent game turn will be
affected by spatial disruptions:
Roll
1

2
3-4
5

6

Result
Each starship’s heading is immediately changed
to a random direction. (To determine a random
direction, roll one die: 1 indicates the direction of
the ship’s current heading; 2-6 indicate the
remaining hexsides in clockwise order.)
No starships or fighter flights may turn during the
upcoming Movement Phase.
No effect.
During the upcoming Combat Phase, all starship
attacks suffer an additional -1 to-hit penalty. In
addition, no attacks may be made at long range.
Fighter flight attacks are unaffected.
No starships or fighter flights may attack during
the upcoming Combat Phase.

Special Rules
There are no special rules for this scenario.

Victory
Both sides receive VPs as normal.
Either side may claim victory once 600 VPs have
been earned.

Victory
Both sides receive VPs as normal.
Either side may claim victory once 500 VPs have
been earned.

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S.11 To the Rescue

S.12 The Trap

Forces

Forces

Attacker: You have been tracking enemy signals for
several hours, and have finally located their source—
an isolated squadron, ripe for the plucking!

Attacker: Through cunning, guile, and more than a
little luck, you have drawn the enemy into an ambush.
The question is whether you can take advantage of
your success and cripple their forces without losing
too many of your own.

Fleet Limit: 1200
Defender: Due to a navigational error, your fleet has
become separated. Now, just as the two halves are
about to regroup, an enemy force is coming into view.
Fleet Limit: 1200

Setup

Defender: Although you suspected it might a trap,
you took a chance in hopes of forcing a decisive
confrontation. Now outgunned, you must salvage
what you can from a bad situation.

The defending side’s force is divided into two halves,
each with a combat rating of no more than 800.

Fleet Limit: 1000

The attacking side deploys first, followed by one half
of the defending side’s force—roll a die to determine
which half. Setup areas are shown below:

The attacking side deploys first, followed by the
defending side, in the areas shown below:

Special Rules
During each End Phase, the defending side should
roll a die and add the result to a running total; once
this total equals or exceeds 7, the second half of the
defending side’s force can be placed on the game
board,
anywhere
within the
area
marked
“Reinforcements”.

Victory
The attacking side receives VPs as normal.
The defending side receives VPs as normal. In
addition, any attacking ship destroyed before the
reinforcements arrive is worth twice the normal
amount of VPs.
Either side may claim victory once 600 VPs have
been earned.

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Fleet Limit: 1400

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

Setup

Each of the attacking side’s setup areas must contain
forces with a total combat rating of at least 500.

Special Rules
There are no special rules for this scenario.

Victory
The attacking side receives VPs as normal.
The defending side receives double the normal
amount of VPs.
Either side may claim victory once 600 VPs have
been earned.

APPENDIX T: CAMPAIGNS

A campaign is any sequence of games in which the
results of one battle have an effect upon the starting
conditions of the next and/or contribute to a larger
“narrative”. There are a nearly infinite number of ways
in which a campaign can be structured; the options
listed here only scratch the surface.
If your gaming group comes up with something you
find particularly satisfying, please share them with
your fellow Starmada players at the Majestic Twelve
Games discussion forum.

T.1 Objectives Campaign
An objectives-centered campaign is ideal for two
players who wish to provide additional meaning to
their games. With some modification, it can be
expanded to accommodate three or more players;
however, larger groups should consider a T.2:
Rotating Campaign (p.66).
1) A campaign “map” is generated. The simplest
possible map is a series of branching “objectives”,
as shown below:

Players may elect to create something more
involved and complex if they desire, although
those new to the idea of a campaign should keep
it simple for the time being.
2) Each player assembles a fleet with a combat
rating limit of 2000.
3) Players secretly record the starting locations of
their starships; one player begins with their ships
dispersed among objectives A1-A3, while the
other begins dispersed among objectives B1-B3.
4) Players secretly record starship movement. A ship
may move from its current objective to any
connected objective. For example, on the above
map, any ships located at objective B6 may move
into objective B3, B5, C3, or C4.
5) The dispositions of each player’s fleet(s) are
revealed. If any objective contains starships
belonging to both players, a battle must be fought.
Conduct the game as a standard scenario (p.12);
however, the game does not end when one side
achieves the appropriate number of VPs. Instead,
the game continues until only one side’s ships
remain on the game board.
Starships may leave the battle by exiting the game
board. Any ships escaping the battle, either via
the edge of the game board or through
hyperspace (B.10: Hyperdrive, p.33) must return
to the objective previously occupied. If that
objective was also contested, and no longer
remains in the player’s possession, the ships are
considered to have been destroyed.
6) If one or more battles were fought, any surviving
starships automatically have all engine, shield,
weapon, and equipment damage repaired, and
carriers regain their full complement of fighters.
Munitions are replenished as well. However, hull
damage is not automatically repaired (see below).
7) Once all battles have been resolved, each player
rolls two dice, adds the number of objectives
occupied by their starships, and multiplies the total
by 20. This is the number of replenishment points
(RPs) received, which can be used to repair hull
damage and/or add new starships. For example, if
a player controls eight objectives and rolls a 2 and
a 5, a total of 300 RPs would be received (2 + 5 +
8 = 15 × 20).

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Adding a new starship requires a number of RPs
equal to its combat rating. Repairing a hull point
requires a number of RPs equal to the ship’s
combat rating divided by its hull size, rounded up.
For example, a hull size 10 ship with a combat
rating of 225 would require 23 RPs to repair a
single hull point (225 ÷ 10 = 22.5, rounded up).
Starship repairs take effect immediately. New
ships enter the campaign at the player’s home
objective (A1 or B1).
RPs do not have to be used immediately; they
may be “saved” for later use. A player may not use
RPs to increase their fleet’s total combat rating to
more than 2000.
8) Repeat steps 4-7. The campaign continues until
one player occupies their opponent’s home
objective (A1 or B1), or until either player
concedes that defeat is inevitable.

T.2 Rotating Campaign
The rotating system is intended to produce a “quickand-dirty” campaign between two or more players. It
is ideal for a club or league setup, in which players
meet for a couple of games on a regular basis, but
don’t want to start on anything more complicated. This
sort of campaign can be resolved in a single
weekend, but is generally more suitable for groups
who meet up over a period of several weeks or
months.
1) Each player assembles a fleet with a combat
rating limit of 2000.
2) Determine a player initiative order in any random
fashion. Following this order, players alternate
being the “active” player.
3) The active player randomly determines a scenario
(Appendix S: Scenarios, p.58).
4) The next player in initiative order has the first
choice of accepting battle with the active player or
declining.
5) If battle is accepted, the two players play out the
scenario. The active player is assumed to be the
attacker.
In most cases, the scenario combat rating limit will
be less than the size of a player’s fleet; therefore,
only a portion of the fleet will be used in the
scenario. If the player’s fleet has a total combat
rating less than the scenario’s combat rating limit,
the player does not receive additional forces to
make up the difference.
If battle is declined, the next player in initiative
order has the option to accept or decline.
6) The winner of the scenario scores a victory. If no
other player accepted battle, the active player
automatically scores a victory.
7) If a battle was fought, any starships that survive
the scenario automatically have all engine, shield,
weapon, and equipment damage repaired, and
carriers regain their full complement of fighters.
Munitions are replenished as well. However, hull
damage is not automatically repaired (see below).

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8) The player who lost the scenario rolls two dice
and multiplies the total by 50. This is the number
of replenishment points (RPs) received, which can
be used to repair hull damage and/or add new
starships.
Adding a new starship requires a number of RPs
equal to its combat rating. Repairing a hull point
requires a number of RPs equal to the ship’s
combat rating divided by its hull size, rounded up.
For example, a hull size 10 ship with a combat
rating of 225 would require 23 RPs to repair a
single hull point (225 ÷ 10 = 22.5, rounded up).
Any player who declined battle also receives RPs;
roll two dice and multiply the total by 25.
RPs do not have to be used immediately; they
may be “saved” for later use. A player may not use
RPs to increase their fleet’s total combat rating to
more than 2000.
9) Repeat steps 3-8, proceeding through the initiative
order. Once all players have had a chance to be
the active player, determine a new initiative order
and start again.
The first player
victories wins
campaign may
“rounds”, at the
victories wins.

to score a pre-determined number of
the campaign. Alternatively, the
last for a pre-determined number of
end of which the player with the most

T.3 Tournament System
The tournament system consists of two stages,
similar to that used in international sporting
competitions. The first is a “group” stage, in which
players compete in a series of games against each
other in a round-robin format; the second is the
“knockout” stage, in which the top four qualifiers
compete, first in two semi-final games, and then a
final game to determine the overall winner.
1) Each player assembles a fleet of with a total
combat rating no greater than 2000. If only two or
three players are available, each should assemble
two separate fleets.
2) Draw lots or use another random method to
determine initial matchups for the first round of the
group stage. (If only two or three players are
involved, a player’s two fleets may not be matched
with each other.) In the event there are an odd
number of fleets, there will be one fleet with a bye
for the round.
3) Each pair of matched fleets randomly determines
a scenario (Appendix S: Scenarios, p.58) and
plays the game. In most cases, the scenario
combat rating limit will be less than the size of the
involved fleets; therefore, only a portion of the
fleet will be used in the scenario. If a fleet has a
total combat rating less than the scenario’s
combat rating limit, additional forces are not
received to make up the difference.
Once the battle is concluded, record the number
of VPs scored by each fleet.

4) Once all scenarios have been completed,
determine matchups for the second round of the
group stage. No fleet may be matched with the
same opposing fleet more than once, nor may any
fleet receive a bye in more than one round.
(Again, if only two or three players are involved, a
player’s two fleets may not be matched with each
other.)
5) Repeat steps 3-4 until all fleets have fought one
scenario against each opposing fleet. All damaged
or destroyed starships are fully repaired and/or
replaced in between scenarios.
6) Determine seeding for the knockout stage by
comparing the total number of VPs scored by
each fleet over the course of the group stage; the
top scoring fleet is matched against the fourthhighest scoring fleet; the second-highest scoring
fleet is matched against the third-highest scoring
fleet.
If only two players are involved in the tournament,
skip the semi-final round and have each player’s
top-scoring fleet play each other in the final (step
8).

If only three players are involved in the
tournament, the semi-finals will consist of each
player’s top-scoring fleet and the fourth-highest
scoring fleet. Thus, one player will have two fleets
in the semi-final round. A player may not have two
fleets fight each other; seeding is therefore
determined by pitting the doubled player’s topscoring fleet against the lower-scoring fleet of the
two opposing fleets, and the doubled player’s lowscoring fleet against the higher-scoring of the two
opposing fleets.
7) For each semi-final game, randomly determine a
scenario and play the game.
8) The winners of the semi-final games then
randomly determine a scenario and play one final
game to determine the overall winner.
In a three-player tournament, if the same player
won both semi-final games, the final scenario is
played between the doubled player’s top-scoring
fleet (in the semi-finals) and the higher-scoring of
the two opposing fleets.

Unity Rulebook – Version 2.0

67

APPENDIX X: BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY

This appendix contains everything players need to
know in order to use their existing Admiralty and Nova
starship designs in this new edition of Starmada.
While we’ve tried to account for all possibilities, it’s
inevitable something has been overlooked. Feel free
to notify us of any suggested additions or changes by
visiting the Majestic Twelve Games discussion forum.

X.1 Admiralty Edition
All Admiralty page numbers refer to Revision 2.0 (May
2008) of the Core Rulebook (MJG-0120 & ADB-6100)
and Revision 0.1 (August 2009) of the Rules Annex
(MJG-0125 & ADB-6125).

Setting Up

Weapon traits operate as described on pp.44-47 of
the Core Rulebook and pp.14-15 of the Rules Annex.
Most Admiralty traits have an equivalent in the new
edition, as shown below:
Admiralty Trait
Anti-Fighter
Area Effect
Carronade
Catastrophic
Continuing Damage
Crew-Killer
Double Damage
Doubled Range Modifiers
Extra Hull Damage
Fighter-Exclusive

There are no special adjustments which need to be
made to Admiralty starship data cards.

Fire-Linked
Halves Shields

Playing the Game

Ignores Shields
Increased Hits

The scenario is set up and the game is conducted
according to rule 2.0: Playing the Game (p.11).

Movement

Increased Impact

Movement by Admiralty starships is conducted as
described in rule 3.0: Movement (p.15).

Inverted Range Modifiers
Inv Rng-Based DMG/ROF

Combat

Inv Rng-Based IMP
Minimum Range
No Hull Damage
No Range Modifiers
Non-Piercing
Piercing [X]
Range-Based DMG/ROF

Except as noted below, combat involving Admiralty
starships is conducted as described in rule 4.0:
Combat (p.18).
Admiralty weapons’ short range is equal to one-third
their RNG value; medium range is equal to two-thirds
RNG; long range is equal to RNG.
Admiralty weapons’ ROF and ACC values are
unchanged.

Range-Based IMP
Repeating
Slow-Firing
Starship-Exclusive

Admiralty weapons’ IMP values are unchanged.

Variable DMG/IMP

Admiralty weapons’ DMG values are unchanged.
When an Admiralty starship takes damage, roll on the
table provided in rule 4.4: The Damage Roll (p.21). If
the result is an engine or shield hit, check off two
boxes from the appropriate track, instead of just one.
If the result is a weapon hit, roll twice on the weapon
damage chart of the Admiralty ship card.

Variable ROF

Unity Trait
Accurate (Acr)
Proximity (Prx)
Carronade (Crn)
Catastrophic (Cts)
Disruptive (Dsr)
Deadly (Dly)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Diffuse (Dfs)
Kinetic (Knt)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Fire-Linked (FrL)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Modulating (Mdl)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Focused (Fcs)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Telescopic (Tls)
Ballistic (Bls)
Incapacitating (Inc)
Guided (Gid)
Non-Piercing (NPr)
Piercing (Pr1/Pr2)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Scatter (Sct)
Repeating (Rpt)
Slow (Slw)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Volatile (Vlt)

Fighters
Use the rules for fighters in rule 5.0: Fighters (p.22)
instead of those on p.25 of the Core Rulebook. A
starship’s fighter capacity is equal to the Admiralty
fighter capacity divided by 50, rounded to the nearest
integer. For example, “Carrier (150)” becomes
“Carrier (3)”; “Carrier (260)” becomes “Carrier (5)”
(260 ÷ 50 = 5.2, rounded off).
(For simplicity’s sake, a starship’s entire carrier
capacity, including boarding pods, breachers, strikers,
and seekers, is collectively converted to “fighters” in
this manner.)

68

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

Starship Options
Admiralty starship options operate as described in
Appendix B: Starship Systems (p.30). Exceptions
are indicated below:


Anti-Fighter Batteries: This option has been
revamped in the new edition; use the rules on
p.10 of the Rules Annex.



Armor Plating: An Admiralty starship with armor
plating is instead considered to have B.11:
Ionized Hull (p.33).



Auxiliary Services: Admiralty capacities are
divided by 50, rounded to the nearest integer. For
example, “Science (150)” becomes “Science (3)”.



Faceted Shielding: This option has no equivalent
in the new edition; use the rules on pp.11-12 of
the Rules Annex.



Flotillas: This option has no equivalent in the new
edition; use the rules on pp.12-13 of the Rules
Annex.



Marines: As noted on p.34, marines are assumed
to have an inherent means of assaulting enemy
vessels; thus, any boarding pods or teleporters
possessed by an Admiralty starship are ignored.



Point Defense: This option has no equivalent in
the new edition; use the rules on p.11 of the Rules
Annex.



Regeneration: This option has not (yet) been
adapted to the new edition; use the rules on p.40
of the Core Rulebook.



Screens: This option has no equivalent in the new
edition; use the rules on p.40-41 of the Core
Rulebook.



Stealth: All attacks against an Admiralty target
equipped with Stealth incur an additional -1 to-hit
penalty. In addition, no attacks can be made
against such a target at long range.

X.2 Nova Edition
All Nova page numbers refer to version 1.1 (April
2012) of the Nova Rulebook (MJG-0130 & ADB6120).

Setting Up
Before the game begins, Nova starship displays must
be modified slightly. First, draw a box around the
middle section of hull boxes; these are now
considered “system boxes”. The starship’s hull size is
equal to the number of remaining hull boxes.
Next, divide the number of system boxes in half, and
round up; place a bullet (•) inside that ordinal system
box. For example, if there are five system boxes, a
bullet is placed in the third box (5 ÷ 2 = 2.5, rounded
up to 3). Finally, place a bullet inside the last system
box.

A Nova starship has thirteen hull boxes, arranged in
groups of five, four, and four, as shown above. A box
is drawn around the middle section of four boxes;
these become the ship’s system boxes, leaving it with
nine hull boxes. The ship is therefore considered to
be hull size 9. Bullets are placed in the second and
fourth system boxes, as shown below.

Any armor boxes on the starship display are
unaffected by this process.

Playing the Game
The scenario is set up and the game is conducted
according to rule 2.0: Playing the Game (p.11).
Although the combat rating calculation was tweaked
slightly in the Nova edition, most starships should
have values close enough for friendly games.
In competitive environments where increased
accuracy is desired, apply the following modifiers,
based upon the Nova design’s shield dice icons:
Shield Dice Icons

Modifier
+10%
+5%
None
-5%

For example, a starship with shield dice icons of
and a combat rating of 344 would have its
combat rating increased by +5%, to 361.

Movement
Movement by Nova starships is conducted as
described in rule 3.0: Movement (p.15). A Nova
starship’s engine rating is equivalent to the value in its
first unchecked thrust box.

Combat
Except as noted below, combat involving Nova
starships is conducted as described in rule 4.0:
Combat (p.18).
Weapon firing arcs are as described on pp.11-12 of
the Nova rulebook. Range values are unchanged.
When a Nova starship declares an attack, first
determine the number of attack dice as described on
p.13 of the Nova rulebook. The result is the number of
to-hit dice rolled. The only relevant attack modifiers
are the bank’s arc modifier and any applicable
weapon damage modifier; other modifiers (such as for
range and/or the target’s ECM rating) are applied to
the result of each individual to-hit die.
All Nova weapons are ACC 5+, unless they possess
the Accurate (Acr) trait, in which case they are
ACC 4+.

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69

Because the relative strength of each attack die was
lowered somewhat in the Nova edition, any attacks
made by Nova starships receive a bonus to-hit die for
each (unmodified) 1 or 6 resulting from the initial roll.
Any rolls of 1 or 6 on these bonus dice do not provide
additional to-hit dice.
A starship is making an attack with six dice against a
target at short range (+1). The weapons are ACC 5+.
The to-hit dice are rolled, coming up 1, 1, 3, 4, 6, and
6. This results in three hits, along with a dice bonus
of +4. An additional four to-hit dice are rolled,
coming up 3, 3, 4, and 6. The final result of the attack
is six hits.
All Nova weapons are IMP 1, unless they possess the
Double Damage (Dx2) or Triple Damage (Dx3) traits,
in which case they are IMP 2 or IMP 3, respectively.
When making impact rolls on a Nova starship, the
relevant shield rating is equal to seven minus the
value of the first unchecked shield dice icon on the
target’s display sheet. For example, if a ship has
shield dice icons of
, the shield rating is 3 (7
- 4).
Note that these are functionally the same thing: in
each case the odds of a successful impact roll are
identical (i.e. 50/50). Therefore, unless the attacking
weapon is Non-Piercing (NPr) or Piercing (Pr1/Pr2)
(C.5: Weapon Traits, p.43), or the battle is being
fought in a nebula (G.4: Nebulae, p.56), players may
simply use the Saving Throw process described on
p.13 of the Nova rulebook to determine shield
penetration.



Catastrophic (Cts) weapons should be treated as
if they have the Kinetic (Knt) trait (p.41).



Double Damage (Dx2) weapons are IMP 2
instead of IMP 1.



Piercing (Prc) weapons treat the target’s shield
rating as if it were 50% its actual value (rounded
up).



Seeker (Skr) weapons are treated as C.4:
Seeking Weapons (p.40); their movement
allowance (MA) is equal to their Nova short range
band.



Triple Damage (Dx3) weapons are IMP 3 instead
of IMP 1.

Fighters
Use the rules for fighters in rule 5.0: Fighters (p.22)
instead of those on p.16 of the Nova rulebook. Each
Nova fighter flight begins the game with three
individual fighters, instead of six. Nova fighter flights
may not be designated as variants (F.4: Fighter
Variants, p.52).

Starship Systems
Nova starship systems operate as described in
Appendix B: Starship Systems (p.30). Exceptions
are indicated below:


Auxiliary Services: Nova capacities are divided
by 50, rounded to the nearest integer. For
example, “Science (150)” becomes “Science (3)”.



Directional Defenses: This option has no
equivalent in the new edition; use the rules on
p.17 of the Nova Rulebook.



Drones: Drones are considered C.4: Seeking
Weapons (p.40) with the following characteristics:
360° firing arc; MA 8; ROF 3; ACC 5+; IMP 1;
DMG 1; Exp.



Escort: This option has not (yet) been adapted to
the new edition; use the rules on p.18 of the Nova
Rulebook.



Fragile Systems: This option has no equivalent in
the new edition; use the rules on p.19 of the Nova
Rulebook.



Regenerating: This system has not (yet) been
adapted to the new edition; use the rules on p.22
of the Nova Rulebook.



Reinforced Systems: This option has no
equivalent in the new edition; use the rules on
p.22 of the Nova Rulebook.



Scout: This option has not (yet) been adapted to
the new edition; use the rules on p.22 of the Nova
Rulebook.



Stealth: Double the rating of any Nova starship
equipped with stealth; e.g. “Stealth (1)” becomes
“Stealth (2)”.

All Nova weapons are DMG 1.
All armor boxes on a Nova starship must be checked
off before any damage rolls are made—this is a
change from the rule on p.13 of the Nova rulebook.
When making damage rolls, use the following table
instead of the one provided in rule 4.4: The Damage
Roll (p.21):
Roll
1-3

4-5
6

Result
Hull Hit: Check off one hull box from the target’s
display.
System Hit: Check off one system box from the
target’s display.
No Effect: The hit has struck a bulkhead or other
non-essential section of the target.

When checking off hull boxes, remember to skip over
the middle section, since these have been designated
as “system boxes”. When a system box containing a
bullet (•) is checked off, conduct damage checks as
described on pp.14-15 of the Nova rulebook. Once all
of a starship’s system boxes have been checked off,
additional damage rolls of 4 or 5 have no effect.
Weapon traits operate as described on pp.23-25 of
the Nova Rulebook. Exceptions are indicated below:


70

Accurate (Acr) weapons are ACC 4+ instead of
5+.

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

APPENDIX Z: PLAYER RESOURCES

Z.1 Designer’s Notes
The genesis of the Unity Rulebook was a set of
informal guidelines I started developing early in 2016
to allow cross-platform battles between players who
had shifted to the Nova edition of the rules, and those
who had elected to stick with the Admiralty Edition. As
I delved deeper into the mechanics of such a battle, it
became clear that, despite significant cosmetic
differences between the two, the “heart” of the game
had remained surprisingly consistent. A number of
years had passed since the release of Nova, and
there were several choices made in that edition which
seemed like good ideas at the time, but in retrospect
appear less so.
Once the decision was made to begin a new edition,
and in reviewing the long history of Starmada, I found
myself looking more closely at concepts which had for
one reason or another been jettisoned. As just one
example, a change I had often regretted was the
move away from “one damage die, one result”
concept which had defined the Compendium era of
the game. Although I still believe the benefits of the
Starmada X damage resolution system outweighed
the drawbacks, it still never felt “right”. To some
degree I regained what I had been seeking with
Admiralty, but even then there was still the need to
account for the possibility of two types of damage
result on a single die roll.
Of course, Nova did away with the damage roll
entirely—which was perhaps the only true mistake I
made in that edition. The other changes I could justify
for one reason or another; eliminating the damage roll
was a “why not?” decision, when I should have been
asking “why?”
The Unity Rulebook reaches all the way back to the
Compendium for damage resolution, in essence
returning to Starmada’s roots: a 50/50 split between
hull and systems damage, while retaining Admiralty’s
proportional degradation as a way of ensuring no
starship design will unfairly lose its fighting capability
sooner than others. Variance in that area should be
left to the whims of combat, not dictated by the
construction process.
Speaking of the construction process, one of the
things brought back from Starmada X will be of
interest mainly to math nerds: hull space is now a
polynomial equation, rather than an exponential one.
Likewise, the exponents have been removed from the
engine factor and shield factor calculations.

Over time, the construction process had gotten to the
point where it was all but impossible to complete
without automation. The online Starmada Drydock
helped, as did player-designed spreadsheets, but I
still feel it should be possible to design a starship from
scratch with a pad of paper, a pencil, and a (nonscientific) calculator without losing one’s mind. I’m not
entirely sure that goal was achieved, but it is closer
than it was—and every little bit helps.
Starship construction is also an area in which Nova
made a healthy contribution to the Unity Rulebook.
The cost of non-shield defensive systems remains
relative to a ship’s shield factor, rather than priced as
a flat percentage of the ship’s available space (as in
Admiralty). It’s a small change, and one hidden from
players once the dice start rolling, but I believe it
makes a big difference in the choices facing ship
designers. Another holdover from Nova is the
existence of ablative defenses; i.e. “Screens” (called
“Armor” in the previous edition). This is something
players had been clamoring for since the early days of
Starmada, and it wasn’t until relatively recently I was
able to bring it into the game. Now, with the Unity
Rulebook, players can not only simulate “hit ’em until
they’re gone” shields and/or armor plating, they can
assign different strengths in four separate directions.
These defensive arcs are something out of which I
believe players will get a lot of use. They provide new
opportunities for tactical thinking in a game that, if I’m
honest, hasn’t always gone out of its way to
emphasize such things. In addition to encouraging
players to keep weakened side away from the enemy,
the fact that defensive arcs cover 90°, while weapon
arcs are expressed as multiples of 60°, means it will
not always be possible to have the preferred
defensive arc facing the enemy while also covering
your intended target(s) with the main weapons
battery.
Decisions, decisions.
Of course, those who don’t want to bother with such
things still have the ability to retain the omnidirectional defenses of earlier editions of the game,
and be assured their fleet will be appropriately
balanced against most any other. As always, the
emphasis is on ensuring a fun game is had by all;
which includes doing everything possible to eliminate
the “munchkin” temptation whenever and wherever
possible.

Unity Rulebook – Version 2.0

71

One area in which I admit there may be potential for
abuse is in the new rules for seeking weapons.
Introduced first in the Nova edition, seekers were a bit
of a departure for Starmada, which has traditionally
been exclusively about “direct-fire” weapons (i.e.
weapons which fire and immediately resolve their
attack). Nova’s seeking weapons were a bit of a
hybrid; still basically direct-fire weapons, but with a
delayed impact allowing for a certain degree of
defensive activity.
While the Admiralty Edition did have “Seekers” as a
sub-category of fighter flights, and before that there
were “Drones”, such things were more correctly
fighter variants and not true seeking weapons, which
can fire repeatedly, have limited arcs of engagement,
and so on. So long as ships are built with a mixture of
direct-fire and seeking weapons, there should be no
balance issues. However, seeker-heavy (or even
seeker-exclusive) fleets have not been fully tested.
Any volunteers?
Speaking of fighter variants, one thing Admiralty
possessed, which I had initially intended to carry over
to Nova but never got around to, was the concept of
“fighter capacity”. With this, players set aside a certain
portion of their starship design for carrier space,
which could then be filled by a nearly infinite variety of
custom-built fighter flights. In the Unity Rulebook, I’ve
clamped down on this. There are a number of
reasons behind that choice, but ultimately the
deciding factor was that Starmada is a game of
starship combat. Fighters are meant to enhance the
game, not dominate it. Nevertheless, some choice is
still accounted for by an initial group of five variant
fighter flights, with the possibility of more to come. As
always, if you have any thoughts or suggestions, let
us know.
One of the things I have struggled with since the very
first editions of Starmada is how to account for
damage to weapons; i.e. how best to distribute the
loss of individual weapon mounts over the course of a
starship’s time in combat. This was, of course, the
primary motivation behind the change to the damage
resolution system in Starmada X; it was also one of
the deciding factors in the design of the Nova edition,
in which weapons damage was applied at a high level
of abstraction. The Admiralty Edition perhaps came
closest to a satisfactory resolution; however, it
required an additional die roll, which never sat well
with me. Further, it took a choice away from players,
which is never a great idea, even if it is necessary to
achieve a particular goal.
I believe the Unity Rulebook provides the best of all
worlds: the loss of overall firepower is regulated via
introduction of the “weapons track”; player choice is
reintroduced by not tying each damage result to
specific battery or batteries; and proportional loss is
dictated by “loss limits”, preventing players from
building damage sinks into their designs.

72

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

This change happily provided a solution to another
long-term problem: How to account for damage to
non-primary systems? A number of methods have
been tried over the years, none of which were
particularly satisfying. By treating special equipment
as just another battery of weapons, I believe we’ve
achieved an elegant resolution that will keep the
game moving and eliminate the need for “loss checks”
or other clumsy intrusions. Retaining Nova’s
differentiation between equipment, munitions, and
traits further alleviates the damage sink problem.
A minor, purely aesthetic corollary to this is the return
(last seen in Starmada X) of damage boxes for
individual weapons and equipment items. I have little
to say about this other than I really like them.
In terms of actual gameplay, there’s not much that is
changing. The game turn is still divided into
Movement, Fighter, and Combat Phases, concluding
with an End Phase to perform whatever administrative
tasks may be required. The Orders Phase is back,
after having been eliminated in Nova, which made
sequential movement and combat the standard, thus
removing the need for written orders. I will spare you
the various thought processes that went into that
decision, and just say I brought it back because I liked
it, and because I think players liked it too. There is
nothing quite like the suspense of having committed
to a course of action while being unsure whether your
opponent is going to do quite what you expected. It’s
a relatively minor reversion, but one that enhances
the playing experience considerably.
I could continue for another several pages discussing
the various tweaks and modifications which came and
went during the development process. However, I
think I’ll stop here and let you get back to blowing
each other up. If you do want to know more, or have a
suggestion to make things even better, please join
your fellow gamers at our discussion forum, or get in
touch via our Facebook page.
Just a couple of shout-outs before I sign off:


Ken Burnside (of Ad Astra Games) has been a
major source of advice and support throughout the
revision process. His boundless enthusiasm for
blowing up spaceships is infectious; I might not
have ever completed this project without it.



Noel Weer has been a great sounding board and
an all-around good egg. Then again, I expected
nothing less. You’ll see much more of Noel’s
contributions once the Imperial Starmada
Sourcebook is released.



Ken Rodeghero did yeoman’s work proofreading
this book. I suspect he will never actually play the
game, as doing so would require reading these
pages yet again.

Happy gaming!
Daniel Kast
Castle Rock, CO
April 2017

Z.2 Starmada Drydock Instructions

Worksheets

This section provides a guide to the use of the
Starmada Drydock spreadsheet, and assumes you
have access to (and a working knowledge of)
Microsoft Excel 2010. The spreadsheet may or may
not function as intended when using other versions of
Excel, or a third-party alternative (such as Apache
OpenOffice).

The tabs labeled “SHIP1” through “SHIP5” are where
the actual starship design process occurs. Userdefined values are placed in the yellow cells; the
orange cells contain calculations made by the
spreadsheet itself. Do not rename these tabs; doing
so will prevent the “Display” tab (p.75) from
functioning properly.

Each of the tabs is protected by default (except
“Tables”, which is hidden, but not protected; p.75). If
you need to unprotect a tab to make any changes,
click “Home → Cells → Format → Unprotect Sheet.”
To protect the sheet again, click “Home → Cells →
Format → Protect Sheet,” and click “OK” on the
confirmation dialog box.

Faction, Class, Type: May be defined by the player
as desired. On the starship display sheet, this will be
formatted as “[Faction] [CLASS]-class [Type].”

The current version of the Starmada Drydock is v2.0
(December 2019).

Engines: Restricted to values from 0 to 12.

ORAT, DRAT, CRAT: The starship’s offensive,
defensive, and combat ratings, respectively.
Hull Size: Restricted to values from 1 to 35.

Shields: Restricted to values from 0 to 5.


Fwd, Port, Stbd, Aft: Used to indicate the
presence of directional shielding
A starship may not have both standard and
directional shields; if this happens, the
spreadsheet will only apply the standard shields.

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73

Screens: Restricted to values from 0 to 50.


Fwd, Port, Stbd, Aft: Used to indicate the
presence of directional screens.
A starship may not have both standard and
directional screens. If this happens, the
spreadsheet will only apply the standard screens.

Weapons
This tab is used to record the capabilities of weapon
systems, allowing you to avoid retyping the values for
each new starship design. As with the worksheet tabs
(p.73), user-defined values are entered into the
yellow/light green cells. The tab has room for up to 24
entries.

Tech Levels: Restricted to values from -2 to +2.
Space Units Used, Remain: These columns provide
a running total of how many space units (SUs) have
been used by each part of the starship, as well as the
number of SUs remaining to be filled. If the “Remain”
column turns red, this indicates more space units
have been used than are available.
Weapons: Up to twelve banks may be entered. The
pull-down menu contains a list of all available weapon
systems, taken from the “Weapons” tab (p.74).
Banks are entered in the following format: “xARCy”,
where “x” is the number of mounts (1-9); “ARC” is the
firing arc designation; and “y” is the number of
weapons in a multi-weapon mount. If either “x” or “y”
is omitted, the default value is 1.
For example, “3AB” indicates a bank of three singlemounted weapons with the [AB] firing arc; “BCE2”
indicates a bank of one dual-mounted weapon firing
into the [BCE] arc.
The values entered into these boxes are not
automatically restricted. Instead, the spreadsheet will
resolve invalid entries as follows: any “x” value
greater than 9 will result in no weapons being added;
unknown firing arc designations will convert to the
closest designation found in the list on the “Tables”
tab (p.75); any “y” value between 5 and 9 converts to
4; and any “y” value of 10 or higher will resolve using
only the last digit.
The ORAT column indicates the total offensive rating
(ORAT) of the weapon battery.
Systems: Up to ten different starship systems may be
entered. The pull-down menu contains all available
systems, taken from the list found on the “Tables” tab
(p.75). You should not enter the same equipment or
trait on multiple lines; if you do, the duplicated
systems will turn red.


74

Qty: Limited to a range from 1 to 30. If omitted,
the default value is 1. The spreadsheet will only
recognize values greater than 1 for munitions and
those equipment/traits that explicitly allow for
multiples. The N column (blue boxes) indicates the
actual value applied by the spreadsheet.



ORAT: The amount this system adds to the
starship’s ORAT.



DRAT×: The multiplicative factor this system
applies to the starship’s DRAT.



DRAT+: The amount this system adds to the
starship’s defensive rating (DRAT).

Weapon: May be named by the player as desired,
with the exception that the greater-than sign (>) is
reserved to indicate a secondary mode. For example,
the “Anti-Fighter” mode of the “Laser Cannon”
weapon system would be written as: “Laser
Cannon>Anti-Fighter”. The name of the weapon
system (or mode) will be shown on the starship
display sheet exactly as entered.
If a secondary mode is entered without a
corresponding primary mode, it cannot be selected on
the worksheet tabs (p.73); if multiple secondary
modes are entered for a single primary mode, only
the first (ordinally) will appear on the worksheet tabs.
Unless using customized range bands, values are
entered only in the first row of each weapon stat
block. For customized range bands, a separate set of
stats is entered for each desired band. If the row turns
red, this means there is a problem with the values
entered. (A row that contains one or more values, but
is not yet complete, will turn red.)
RNG: Restricted to values from -18 to 24. Negative
values indicate standard weapons and must be in
multiples of three (i.e. -3, -6, -9, -12, -15, or -18). A
positive value indicates a seeking weapon (restricted
to values between 4 and 12) or customized range
bands.
For customized range bands, each RNG value must
be greater than the one preceding it.
ROF, IMP, DMG: Restricted to values from 1 to 5.
ACC: Must be 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. The “+” is added
automatically by the spreadsheet; do not type it
manually.
When entering customized range bands, two
successive bands may not have identical
ROF/ACC/IMP/DMG values.
Traits: Up to five traits may be entered for each
weapon system (or mode). The pull-down menu
contains abbreviations for all available traits, taken
from the list found on the “Tables” tab (p.75). If this
column turn red, this indicates a problem with the
traits as entered.
Players must enter “Skr” to indicate a seeking
weapon, although this trait will not appear on the
starship display sheet.
BSUR: The base space unit requirement of the
weapon system (or mode). If this value is zero, it
means the weapon is invalid in some way, and will not
appear in pull-down menus on the worksheet tabs
(p.73).

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

RNG: The maximum range of the weapon, used for
ORAT calculations.

Display
This tab produces a starship display sheet which
mimics the format used in official Majestic Twelve
Games publications. Fonts are not embedded in the
worksheet, which means your system must have the
Eras Bold ITC and Tw Cen MT Condensed Extra Bold
fonts installed for it to display properly. These are
included with many Microsoft products, and can also
be downloaded from fonts.com.
The specific starship design to be displayed is
selected from the pull-down menu in cell AD1. To
produce the final display, it is necessary to hide all of
the unused rows. Click on the arrow located in cell S1
and ensure the checkbox next to “0” is empty, while
the checkbox next to “1” contains a checkmark.

Drake
This tab generates a text-only starship display,
utilizing A.6: Drake Notation (p.29). The starship
shown corresponds to the design selected in the
“Display” tab (p.75).
To produce the final display, it is necessary to hide all
of the unused rows. Click on the arrow located in cell
B1 and ensure the checkbox next to “0” is empty,
while the checkbox next to “1” contains a checkmark.
Once this has been done, only those rows required
for the specific starship design will be displayed. You
may then highlight all of the visible cells in column A
and select “Home → Clipboard → Copy” to copy the
display; from there, you can paste it into a text
document.
To show all rows once again, click on the arrow in cell
B1 and ensure the checkbox next to “(Select All)”
contains a checkmark (not a black box).

Tables
This tab is hidden by default, and contains all of the
lookup tables referred to by the other tabs. To unhide,
right-click on any of the visible tabs and select
“Unhide…”. To hide it once again, right-click on the
“Tables” tab and select “Hide”.
The “Tables” tab is not protected by default. None of
the cells in this tab are limited by data validation or
other settings; care must be taken when making any
alterations.
If you do make changes to the tables, be sure that
each is sorted in descending order once you have
finished. For example, if you add a new firing arc
designation, you must highlight columns F, G, and H,
and then click “Data → Sort & Filter → Sort,” making
sure the following options are set:
Once this has been done, only those rows required
for the specific starship design will be displayed, and
the sheet can be printed.
To show all rows once again, click on the arrow in cell
S1 and ensure the checkbox next to “(Select All)”
contains a checkmark (not a black box).



“My data has headers” is checked.



“Sort by” Firing Arc.



“Sort On” Values.



“Order” A to Z.

Columns A and B indicate the valid tech levels and
the space unit adjustment for each.
Columns C, D, and E list the valid weapon accuracy
(ACC) values and the base space unit requirement
(BSUR) modifiers for each. “Mod1” is used for
standard
weapons;
“Mod2”
is
used
for
seeking/defensive weapons and for customized range
bands.

Unity Rulebook – Version 2.0

75

Column F contains all valid firing arc designations.
Columns G and H have no effect on the starship
design or combat rating; these are used by the
spreadsheet when sorting firing arcs on the starship
display sheet.



Space is the number of SUs required by the
system.



ORAT is the addition to the starship’s ORAT made
by the system.

Columns I and J list the valid sizes of multi-weapon
mounts and the multiplier applied to the BSUR for
each.



DRAT× is the multiplicative factor applied to the
starship’s DRAT by the system.



DRAT+ is the addition to the starship’s defensive
rating (DRAT) made by the system.



Tech is the specific Technology Level category
which applies to the system.

Columns K and L list the abbreviations for all valid
weapon traits and the BSUR modifier for each.
Columns M, N, and O are used when analyzing
combinations of range-based traits.
Columns P and Q are used by the spreadsheet to
determine the factor applied to the offensive rating
(ORAT) of weapons with the Expendable trait.

Each system is duplicated five times, differentiated by
“%1” through “%5”. This is necessary to ensure the
worksheet tabs (p.73) compute their specific space
requirements and ORAT/DRAT values properly.

Columns R through X list the valid starship systems
and associated values:

Columns Y through AB are used to create the pulldown system lists on the worksheet tabs.

Type is either equipment (E), munitions (M), or
trait (T). “E1” and “T1” indicate equipment and
traits which allow for multiples.

Column AC is used by the spreadsheet when creating
the Drake notation starship display.



76

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

4.1 Declaration of Targets, Firing Arcs (p.19)

Z.3 Consolidated Tables
This section collects all of the tables and charts from
throughout the rules and presents them in one
convenient place. It will be updated as
corrections/additions are made to the Starmada
rules.

2.2 Assembling the Fleet (p.12)
Battle Size
Very Small
Small
Medium
Large
Very Large

Fleet Limit
400
700
1000
1500
2000

VP Target
240
420
600
900
1200

3.1 Movement Orders (p.16)
Code

Maneuver

Standard Maneuvers
#
Move forward # hex(es)
P
Turn one hexside (60°) to port
(left/counter-clockwise)
S
Turn one hexside (60°) to starboard
(right/clockwise)
U
Turn three hexsides (180°/“u-turn”)
Special Maneuvers
L
Sideslip one hex to the left
R
Sideslip one hex to the right
… +# Pivot # hexside(s) clockwise
… -#
Pivot # hexside(s) counter-clockwise
Starship Systems
C/…
Activate cloaking device
H/…
Hyperdrive warmup
Movement Options
E/…
Emergency thrust
Z/…
Evasive action
@/…
Roll
T/…
Towing
Terrain
[#]
Planetary orbit for # hex(es)

Increase one altitude level

Decrease one altitude level

Rule
3.1
3.1

3.1
3.1
3.4
3.4
3.4
3.4
B.5
B.10
D.1
D.3
D.7
D.9
G.5
G.6
G.6

3.2 Engine Requirements (p.15)
Turns
None
One
Two or Three
or U-Turn

Engine Requirement
Difference between previous and
current speeds
Greater of previous and current speeds
Sum of previous and current speeds

4.2 The To-Hit Roll (p.20)
Condition
Range Modifiers
Short
 Dfs weapon
 Fcs weapon
 Dfs+Fcs weapon
 Gid weapon
Medium
Long
 Dfs weapon
 Fcs weapon
 Dfs+Fcs weapon
 Gid weapon
Target Modifiers
Tiny
 Acr weapon
 Inc or NPr weapon
Anti-Fighter Batteries (attacked by
seeking weapons)
Cloaked (if detected)
Countermeasures
Adjacent to hex targeted by
Prx weapon
Fire Control Modifiers
Fire Control
Probe within 3 hexes of target
Evasive Action (attacker or target)
Directed Damage
Line of Sight Modifiers
Flares
Explosion
Fighter screen
Asteroid field
Cometary coma/tail

+/-

Rule

+1
+2
-1
-2
0
0
-1
-2
+1
+2
0

4.2
C.5
C.5
C.5
C.5
4.2
4.2
C.5
C.5
C.5
C.5

-1
0
-2
-1
-1
-1/level
-1

4.2
C.5
C.5
B.1
C.4
B.5
B.6
C.5

+1/level*
+1
-1/-2/-3
-1

B.8
B.17
D.3
E.2

-1/flare
-1/hex
-1/-2/-3
-1/hex
-1/hex

B.9
E.3
F.3
G.1
G.3

*Only if negative modifiers also apply.

4.4 The Damage Roll (p.21)
Roll
1-3

4
5
6

Result
Hull Hit: Check off one box on the hull track of
the target’s display sheet.
Engine Hit: Check off one box on the engine
track of the target’s display sheet.
Weapon Hit: Check off one box on the weapons
track of the target’s display sheet.
Shield Hit: Check off one box on the shield track
of the target’s display sheet.

Unity Rulebook – Version 2.0

77

Sequence of Play (p.14)
This outline summarizes all potential actions to be conducted during the course of a game turn, and the order in which
they should occur. See the relevant rule for details on each entry.

1) Orders Phase
a. If using random movement initiative, assemble
and shuffle activation deck (D.8).
b. If using sequential movement, alternate
proceeding through steps (1d) through (2c)
with one starship at a time; if one side has
more than twice as many ships, that side
moves multiple ships at a time; unless using
random movement initiative (D.8).
c. If not using sequential movement, conduct
steps (1d) through (2c) simultaneously for all
ships.
d. Record movement orders (3.1); determine
engine requirements (3.2); expend boosters
(B.3).
i. Record use of secondary weapon modes
(C.2); record shield reinforcement (E.6).
e. Reveal movement orders; confirm orders are
valid (3.2).

2) Movement Phase
a. Remove cloaked starships from game board;
return uncloaked and detected cloaked
starships to game board (B.5).
b. Make hyperdrive warmup rolls; remove
starships entering hyperspace from game
board (B.10).
c. Move all starships on game board according to
movement orders (3.3).
i. Apply damage due to minefields (B.15) and
asteroid fields (G.1); resolve explosions
(E.3).
ii. Float game board as necessary (D.4).
iii. Resolve stacking (3.3).
iv. Utilize overthrusters (B.16).

3) Fighter Phase
a. If using random fighter initiative, assemble and
shuffle activation deck (F.7).
b. Alternate activating one fighter flight at a time;
if one side has more than twice as many
flights, that side activates multiple flights at a
time (5.2); unless using random fighter
initiative (F.7).
i. Selected LRF flight may attempt to enter
hyperspace (F.6).
ii. Move selected flight on game board (5.3);
or place on combat space patrol (F.1).
iii. Interrupt flight’s movement with opposing
flight on combat space patrol (F.1).
iv. Declare attack by selected flight against
adjacent target (5.4); or declare dogfight
(F.2); or declare screening (F.3); or recover
flight (F.5).

78

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

v. Resolve defensive fire from target
starship’s tractor beams (B.24) and/or
Defensive weapons (C.5).
vi. Resolve declared attack and apply effects
immediately (5.4); resolve explosions (E.3).

4) Combat Phase
a. If using random combat initiative, assemble
and shuffle activation deck (E.5).
b. Alternate making attacks with one starship at a
time; if one side has more than twice as many
ships, that side attacks with multiple ships at a
time (4.0); unless using random combat
initiative (E.5).
i. Declare all targets, confirming range, firing
arc, and line of sight restrictions (4.1);
declare directed damage (E.2).
ii. For each target of each weapon battery,
resolve effects of stealth (B.22); make tohit roll (4.2).
iii. For each hit scored, make impact roll (4.3).
iv. For each point of impact inflicted, make
damage roll (4.4).
v. If using sequential combat (E.5), apply
effects of weapons damage (4.5); resolve
explosions (E.3).
c. Resolve starship systems/options used at the
same time as weapons fire:
i. Launch flares (B.9); launch probes and/or
fire probes as weapons (B.17).
ii. Resolve marine boarding attempts (B.14);
trigger shockwave (B.19); use tractor
beams (B.24).
iii. Place seeker flights (C.4).
iv. Make target acquisition (TAG) attempts
(E.7).

5) End Phase
a. Apply gravitational pull due to black holes
(G.2).
b. Apply effects of weapons damage (4.5);
resolve explosions (E.3).
c. Evaluate victory conditions (2.5).
d. Resolve damage from emergency thrust (D.1);
perform damage control (E.1).
e. Reverse pivots (3.4); activate stutterdrives
(B.23); declare towing (D.9).
f. Remove face-up flare/probe/TAG markers; flip
face-down flare/probe/TAG markers to face up
(B.9/B.17/E.7).
g. Deploy mines (B.15); launch shuttlecraft
(B.20); launch fighter flights (F.5).

A.1 The Design, Weapons (p.25)
ACC
2+
3+
4+
5+
6+

Factor
0.43
0.35
0.25
0.15
0.10

Seeking/Defensive*
0.50
0.40
0.30
0.20
0.10

Weapon Trait
Accurate (Acr)
Ballistic (Bls)
Carronade (Crn)
Catastrophic (Cts)
Deadly (Dly)
Diffuse (Dfs)
Disruptive (Dsr)
Expendable (Exp)
Fire-Linked (FrL)
Focused (Fcs)
Guided (Gid)
Incapacitating (Inc)
Kinetic (Knt)
Modulating (Mdl)
Non-Piercing (NPr)
Piercing 1 (Pr1)
Piercing 2 (Pr2)
Proximity (Prx)
Repeating (Rpt)
Scatter (Sct)
Slow (Slw)
Telescopic (Tls)
Volatile (Vlt)

Bls
Crn
Dfs
Fcs
Gid
Sct

Crn
×0.5

Dfs
×0.6
×0.9

B.9 Flares (p.33)

Modifier
×1.3
×0.8
×0.8
×2.0
×2.0
×0.9
×2.0
×0.2
×1.0
×1.3
×1.1
×0.7
×3.0
×2.5
×0.7
×1.5
×2.0
×2.0
×1.4
×1.7
×0.6
×1.9
×3.5
Fcs
×1.1
×0.7
×1.4

Weapon Mount
Single
Double
Triple
Quad

Gid
×0.9
×0.8
n/a
n/a

Sct
×1.1
×1.8
×1.7
×1.8
×1.7

B.14 Marines (p.34)
Max Marines
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six

B.14 Marines, Shipboard Combat (p.34)
Roll
1-2
3-5
6

Number of Hits
None
One
Two

B.17 Probes (p.35)
Roll
1
2-4

5-6

Effect
None. The probe was a “dud”.
Place a probe marker face down in a random
hex adjacent to the target hex.
Place a probe marker face down in the target
hex.

C.1 Alternate Firing Arcs (p.39)
Tls
×1.7
×1.2
×1.5
×2.8
×2.3
n/a

Modifier
×1.0
×1.5
×2.0
×2.5

Exp Factor
×2.00
×1.75
×1.50
×1.25
×1.00
×0.75
×0.50

A.4 Technology Levels (p.27)
Technology Level
+2
+1
0
-1
-2

5-6

Effect
None. The flare was a “dud”.
Place a flare marker face down in a random hex
adjacent to the target hex.
Place a flare marker face down in the target hex.

Hull Size
1-3
4-8
9-15
16-24
25-35

A.2 The Combat Rating, The Offensive Rating
(p.26)
Hull Size
1-2
3-5
6-9
10-14
15-20
20-27
28-35

Roll
1
2-4

Firing Arc
Forward
Aft
Port
Starboard
Forward Port
Forward Starboard
Aft Port
Aft Starboard
Forward Restricted
Aft Restricted
Port Restricted
Starboard Restricted
Forward Half
Aft Half
Port Half
Starboard Half
Forward Extended
Aft Extended
Turret Restricted
Turret
Firing Arc
Forward
Port
Starboard
Aft

Abbr
FF
AA
PP
SS
FP
FS
AP
AS
FR
AR
PR
SR
FH
AH
PH
SH
FX
AX
TR
TT

Standard
AB
EF
HJ
IK
AC
BD
CE
DF
G
L
C
D
GHI
JKL
ACE
BDF
ABCD
CDEF
GHIJK
ABCDEF
Abbr
Fwd
Port
Stbd
Aft

D.3 Evasive Action (p.44)
SU Modifier
50%
70%
100%
140%
200%

Engine Rating
1-2
3-5
6-9
10+

To-Hit Penalty
None
-1
-2
-3

Unity Rulebook – Version 2.0

79

A.5 Starship Systems Table (p.28)
Starship System
Anti-Fighter Batteries
Auxiliary Services
(Cargo/Hospital/Repair/
Science/Transport)
Boosters

Type
Trait
Trait

Space Units
Shield Factor × 1
Capacity × 50

ORAT
-

DRAT
×1.2
-

Tech
Shields
N/A

Munitions

Note [1]

-

Engines

Carrier
 Launch Tubes
Cloaking Device
Countermeasures
Directional Shielding
Fire Control
Flares

Trait
Trait
Equipment
Equipment
Trait
Equipment
Munitions

Engine Factor
× 0.25
50/Flight
+10/Flight
Shield Factor × 3
Shield Factor × 2
Note [2]
Note [3]
5/Flare

+10/Flight
×2.0
×1.5
Note [2]
-

Fighter
Fighter
Shields
Shields
Shields
Weapons
Weapons

Hyperdrive
Ionized Hull

Equipment
Trait

Engine Factor × 1
Shield Factor × 2

250/Flight
+50/Flight
Note [3]
(Engine Rating+10)
× 0.5/Flare
-

Engines
Shields

Long Range Sensors
Marines

Equipment
Munitions

Note [5]
10/Squad

×1.2
×1.5
Note [4]
+1/Squad

Weapons
Weapons

Mines
Overthrusters
Probes

Munitions
Equipment
Munitions

5/Mine
Engine Factor × 1
5/Probe

+1/Mine
×1.3
-

Fighter
Engines
Fighter

Trait
Trait
Trait

30/Screen
15/Screen
Shield Rating
× 100
[Note 8]
10/Shuttle
Shield Factor × 1
Engine Rating
× Engine Factor
× 0.5
3

Screens
 Directional Screens
Shockwave
Shuttlecraft
Solar Sails
Stealth
Stutterdrive

Munitions
Trait
Equipment
Equipment

Tractor Beam

Equipment

Note [5]
(Engine Rating+5)
× 2/Squad
25/Mine
(Engine Rating+6)
× 1/Probe
Shield Rating ×
(Engine Rating+3) × 33
[Note 8]
50/Shuttle
Note [9]

Note [6]
Note [7]
-

Shields
Shields
Shields

+2/Shuttle
×1.2
-

Fighter
N/A
Shields
Engines

(Engine Rating+1) × 3

-

Weapons

[1] Increase the engine rating by 0.25 per Booster when computing all ORATs.
[2] Use the equivalent shield rating, computed on p.24.
[3] Increase the SU cost and ORAT of all weapon batteries by 30%.
[4] The listed modifier applies only to hull points; not to Screens.
[5] Increase the SU cost and ORAT of all weapon batteries by 50%.
[6] Each Screen counts as 0.75 hull boxes when computing the DRAT. A starship may not have both standard and
Directional Screens.
[7] Each forward Directional Screen counts as 0.67 hull boxes when computing the DRAT; each port/starboard Directional
Screen counts as 0.50 hull boxes; each aft Directional Screen counts as 0.33 hull boxes. A starship may not have both
standard and Directional Screens.
[8] If the starship also has Directional Shielding, use the equivalent shield rating, computed on p.24.
[9] Increase the engine rating by 50% when computing all ORATs.

E.1 Damage Control (p.48)
Roll
1-3
4
5

6

Result
None: There is no effect.
Engines Repaired: Restore one box on the
starship’s engine track.
Weapons Repaired: Restore one box on the
starship’s weapons track, and regain the use of
the appropriate number of weapons and/or
equipment.
Shields Repaired: Restore one box on the
starship’s shield track.

E.7 Target Acquisition (p.50)
Hull Size
1-3
4-8
9-15
16-24
25-35

80

Number of TAGs
One
Two
Three
Four
Five

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

F.3 Fighter Screens (p.51)
Number of Fighters
1-3
4-9
10-15
16+

Penalty
None
-1
-2
-3

F.5 Launch & Recovery (p.52)
Hull Size
1-3
4-8
9-15
16-24
25-35

Launch Max
One
Two
Three
Four
Five

Recovery Max
One
One
Two
Two
Three

D.5 Freeform Turns (p.45)
Turns
None

One
Two
Three or UTurn

S.9 Storms in Space (p.63)

Engine Requirement
Difference between previous and current
speeds
Difference between previous and current
speeds, plus 1
Difference between previous and current
speeds, plus 3
Difference between previous and current
speeds, plus 6

G.2 Black Holes, Gravitational Pull (p.55)
Distance
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9-10
11-13
14-17
18-22
23+

1
X
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Size of Black Hole
2
3
4
X
X
X
2
X
X
1
X
X
1
2
X
1
1
3
0
1
2
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0

5
X
X
X
3
2
1
1
0

Appendix S: Scenarios (p.58)
Roll
11-12
13-14
15-16
21-22
23-24
25-26
31-32
33-34
35-36
41-42
43-44
45-46
51-66

Scenario
S.1: Alone in the Dark
S.2: Breakout
S.3: The Chase
S.4: Fleet Action
S.5: Hide & Seek
S.6: Hit & Run
S.7: On Patrol
S.8: The Shakedown Cruise
S.9: Storms in Space
S.10: Tin Can Dustup
S.11: To the Rescue
S.12: The Trap
None. Play a standard scenario as described
on p.11.

Roll
1

2
3-4
5

6

X.1 Admiralty Edition, Combat (p.68)
Admiralty Trait
Anti-Fighter
Area Effect
Carronade
Catastrophic
Continuing Damage
Crew-Killer
Double Damage
Doubled Range Modifiers
Extra Hull Damage
Fighter-Exclusive
Fire-Linked
Halves Shields
Ignores Shields
Increased Hits

Increased Impact
Inverted Range Modifiers
Inv Rng-Based DMG/ROF
Inv Rng-Based IMP
Minimum Range
No Hull Damage
No Range Modifiers
Non-Piercing
Piercing [X]
Range-Based DMG/ROF

S.8 The Shakedown Cruise (p.62)
Roll
1

2
3-4
5
6

Result
The starship has maintenance issues which
severely hamper its performance. Apply a -1
modifier to all of its to-hit rolls.
As above, plus immediately decrease the
starship’s engine rating by 1.
The starship performs as expected; no special
rules apply.
The starship is much more effective than
anticipated. Apply a +1 modifier to all of its to-hit
rolls.
As above, plus immediately increase the
starship’s engine rating by 1.

Result
Each starship’s heading is changed to a random
direction. (To determine a random direction, roll
one die: 1 indicates the direction of the ship’s
current heading; 2-6 indicate the remaining
hexsides in clockwise order.)
No starships may turn during the upcoming
Movement Phase.
No effect.
During the upcoming Combat Phase, all attacks
suffer an additional -1 to-hit penalty. In addition,
no attacks may be made at long range.
No starships may attack during the upcoming
Combat Phase.

Range-Based IMP
Repeating
Slow-Firing
Starship-Exclusive

Variable DMG/IMP
Variable ROF

Unity Trait
Accurate (Acr)
Proximity (Prx)
Carronade (Crn)
Catastrophic (Cts)
Disruptive (Dsr)
Deadly (Dly)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Diffuse (Dfs)
Kinetic (Knt)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Fire-Linked (FrL)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Modulating (Mdl)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Focused (Fcs)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Telescopic (Tls)
Ballistic (Bls)
Incapacitating (Inc)
Guided (Gid)
Non-Piercing (NPr)
Piercing (Pr1/Pr2)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Scatter (Sct)
Repeating (Rpt)
Slow (Slw)
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
No equivalent;
use Admiralty rules
Volatile (Vlt)

X.2 Nova Edition, Playing the Game (p.69)
Shield Dice Icons

Modifier
+10%
+5%
None
-5%

X.2 Nova Edition, Combat (p.69)
Roll
1-3

4-5
6

Result
Hull Hit: Check off one hull box from the target’s
display.
System Hit: Check off one system box from the
target’s display.
No Effect: The hit has struck a bulkhead or other
non-essential section of the target.

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Z.4 Rules Index
Alternate Firing Arcs ................................................ 39
Anti-Fighter Batteries ............................................... 30
Asteroids.................................................................. 54
Auxiliary Services .................................................... 30
Backwards Compatibility.......................................... 68
Black Holes .............................................................. 55
Boosters .................................................................. 31
Campaigns .............................................................. 65
Carrier...................................................................... 31
Cloaking Device ....................................................... 31
Combat Procedure................................................... 18
Combat Rating ......................................................... 26
Combat Space Patrol............................................... 51
Comets .................................................................... 55
Consolidated Tables ................................................ 77
Countermeasures .................................................... 32
Damage Control....................................................... 48
Damage Roll ............................................................ 21
Defensive Arcs......................................................... 30
Defensive Rating ..................................................... 26
Directed Damage ..................................................... 48
Directional Screens.................................................. 36
Directional Shielding ................................................ 32
Dogfights ................................................................. 51
Drake Notation ......................................................... 29
Dual-Mode Weapons ............................................... 39
Emergency Thrust ................................................... 44
Engine Factor .......................................................... 24
Engine Hits .............................................................. 21
Engine Requirement ................................................ 15
Engine Track ........................................................... 10
Equipment ............................................................... 30
Etheric Drag ............................................................. 44
Evasive Action ......................................................... 44
Explosions ............................................................... 48
Fighter Screens ....................................................... 51
Fighter Variants ....................................................... 52
Fighters.................................................................... 22
Fire Control .............................................................. 32
Firing Arcs ............................................................... 19
Flares....................................................................... 33
Fleet Limit ................................................................ 12
Floating Game Board............................................... 45
Freeform Turns ........................................................ 45
Game Board .............................................................. 4
Game Components.................................................... 4
Game Turn Record .................................................. 11
Glossary .................................................................... 5
Graded Turns .......................................................... 46
Hull Hits ................................................................... 21
Hull Track .................................................................. 9
Hyperdrive ............................................................... 33
Ionized Hull .............................................................. 33
Impact Roll............................................................... 20
Launch & Recovery ................................................. 52
Launch Tubes .......................................................... 33
Line of Sight ............................................................. 19
Long Range Fighters ............................................... 53
Long Range Sensors ............................................... 33

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Loss Limits ............................................................... 21
Maneuvers ............................................................... 16
Markers ...................................................................... 5
Marines .................................................................... 34
Mines ....................................................................... 34
Minimum/Maximum Rolls ......................................... 20
Models ....................................................................... 4
Movement Orders .................................................... 15
Multi-Weapon Mounts .............................................. 39
Munitions ................................................................. 30
Nebulae ................................................................... 56
Offensive Rating ...................................................... 26
Overthrusters ........................................................... 35
Partial Victory Points ................................................ 49
Pivots ....................................................................... 17
Planets ..................................................................... 56
Probes ..................................................................... 35
Random Combat Initiative........................................ 49
Random Fighter Initiative ......................................... 53
Random Movement Initiative ................................... 47
Range ...................................................................... 18
Rolls ......................................................................... 46
Scenarios ................................................................. 58
Screens.................................................................... 35
Seeking Weapons .................................................... 40
Sequence of Play..................................................... 14
Sequential Combat .................................................. 49
Sequential Movement .............................................. 46
Shield Factor............................................................ 24
Shield Hits................................................................ 21
Shield Reinforcement............................................... 50
Shield Track ............................................................. 10
Shockwave .............................................................. 36
Shuttlecraft............................................................... 37
Sideslips .................................................................. 17
Solar Sails................................................................ 37
Space Units ............................................................. 24
Speed ...................................................................... 15
Stacking ................................................................... 16
Starmada Drydock ................................................... 73
Starship Construction............................................... 24
Starship Display Sheet............................................... 9
Starship Systems ..................................................... 30
Starship Systems Table ........................................... 28
Stealth...................................................................... 37
Stutterdrive .............................................................. 38
Target Acquisition .................................................... 50
Technology Levels ................................................... 27
Three-Dimensional Play........................................... 57
To-Hit Roll ................................................................ 20
Towing ..................................................................... 47
Tractor Beam ........................................................... 38
Traits, Starship ......................................................... 30
Traits, Weapon ........................................................ 41
Victory ...................................................................... 13
Weapon Battery Display .......................................... 10
Weapon Hits ............................................................ 21
Weapons Track........................................................ 10

THE STARMADA UNIVERSE

A Timeline of History
The following constitutes a chronology of major events in the development of the Terran Empire. All date
references are given in the Anno Astra system.
+0
Development of the hyperdrive signals the
birth of humanity as a starfaring race.
+24

The first extra-solar colony is established.

+61
The seeds of the corporate nobility are sown
with the creation of the Connor/Grumlin Group.
+102 New Phoenix is founded on Gaia (Barnard IV).
+145 The
Connor/Grumlin
Group
assumes
governmental responsibilities for the Olympian Fields
on Mars after the bombing of Sao Paulo.

+303 The Imperial Council censures Emperor
Wheylan for using the Starmada to crush a “rebellion”
at Travers’ Pride. Several thousand civilians were
killed in the action. Wheylan remains unrepentant.
Rumors spread about strange reptilian creatures with
a taste for human flesh.
+322 Emperor Wheylan forms the Synod, which
quickly assumes most legislative authority from the
Imperial Council.
+333 Emperor Roen takes the throne.

+158 The Collapse on Terra sparks the beginning of
the Terran War.

+348 The siege of Polaris County ends; the Arcturan
Federation is formed after years of negotiation.

+171 North Atlantic Union forces gain control of
northern Africa, ending the first phase of the Terran
War.

+353-359

+198 The First New Indian Expeditionary Force
begins operations against colonies loyal to Terra.
+199 New Indian forces are recalled when Betal
Corianis faces a coup within his government. The
coup is thwarted.

The Arcturan Conflict.

+354 Vladimir Hadric is elected Emperor upon the
sudden death of Emperor Roen.
+357 The Imperial Guardians (House Izraedi) are
formed. It is not until after the S’ssk Uprising that their
true function is revealed.
+386-389

The S’ssk Uprising.

+200 Goddard Mojhari becomes the first Regent of
Terra. The Second Expeditionary Force is launched
from New India.

+391 Hostilities on the Eastern Frontier of the
Empire end when the Starmada halts its advance at
the borders of the Donegal Alliance.

+201 Regent Mojhari defeats New Indian forces in
the Battle of Io. The Starmada is formed.

+422 Emperor Hadric falls ill and passes authority to
his wife, Gillin. She serves as Regent for nearly a
decade before Hadric finally dies in +430.

+204 House Mberti is declared renegade by the
Regency Council. Most Mberti leaders disappear
before they can be apprehended.
+217 Regent Mojhari selects Jeri Popillo as his
successor.

+425 Arcturan forces raid several systems in
Imperial space. This marks the last open hostilities
between the two factions.

+221-239
Eight different individuals serve as
Regent during this period.

+433 Twenty-seven months after the death of
Emperor Hadric, the Imperial Council permanently
reintroduces the Regency. The Synod immediately
calls for the Council’s dissolution.

+246 House Connor relinquishes control of several
colonial licenses in exchange for additional
representation on the Imperial Council.

+434 Crisis is averted when Emperor Chen
oversees the installation of Regent Blythe. The
Imperial Council reconvenes the following year.

+268 Purser Wheylan is appointed Regent upon the
abdication of Regent Corinaro.

+438 An Imperial survey ship is destroyed by a
patrol from the Kalaedinese Expanse. Several years
of undeclared warfare follow.

+290 Regent Wheylan is named Emperor by the
Regency Council.
+301 Wheylan announces his “New Destiny”
program, eventually wiping out centuries of historical
documentation. The Starmada begins a siege of
Polaris County that will last for nearly 50 years.

+449 The Battle of Agirant fixes the present location
of the Imperial/Kalaedinese border.
+451 The Admiralty conducts a series of war games
to test the feasibility of a limited invasion of Polaris
County. The scope of exercises is increased upon
word that Arcturan fleets stationed along the Imperial
border have been recalled.

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The Terran Empire
So it was with a sense of relief, rather than concern,
that the citizens of Terra watched the ascension to
power of Purser Wheylan.
To them, the one-time opposition leader offered a
chance for humanity to pull itself from the ashes, and
more importantly, for Terra to take back her rightful
place as the center of human civilization.
—Vicar Buros

Purser Wheylan
Purser Wheylan’s ascension to the throne in +268
marked as great a turning point in human history as
did the invention of the hyperdrive three centuries
before. Wheylan did not go so far as to reset the
calendar in his honor, deciding instead to retain the
Anno Astra system, but in most other respects, the
current history of humanity can be said to go back
only as far as Wheylan’s reign. This is not to say that
nothing is known of the preceding millennia, only that
what does survive is pitiful in its scarcity. Examination
of records from other worlds have shed some light on
the decades just before Wheylan’s rise to power, but
for the most part, the first Emperor’s New Destiny
campaign was surprisingly successful.

By Any Means Necessary
Modern students (as well as several historians) often
make the mistake of assuming the New Destiny was
Wheylan’s way of covering for past injustices and
less-than-noble activities on his way to the throne.
While this may have played a role, such a view is a
vast oversimplification of his motivations, and fails to
take into account the attitudes of the citizenry of Terra
at that time. Indeed, Wheylan was exceedingly candid
about his actions during the first few years of his
reign, when several scandals broke regarding his
party’s methods.
That none of these incidents seriously threatened
Wheylan’s rule is a reflection not only of his diplomatic
skills, but also of the populace’s disgust with the state
of the Regency before Wheylan. While there were
those who feared the eventual sacrifice of individual
liberties, most people applauded the moves Wheylan
was making; rebelling against what they called the
“bureaucratic process” , they felt that strict adherence
to the Code of Regency and other policies was
crippling the administration’s ability to govern. Thus,
few were truly upset when some of the Terran Party’s
more unorthodox-dox methods came to light. Truly,
the ends justified the means for the people of this
time. In fact, it is a tribute to Wheylan and his Regency that the rights of the private citizen were preserved
and in some cases even expanded during the first half
of the fourth century. It would appear Wheylan saved
his less reputable methods for his dealings with the
corporate nobility.

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A more correct assessment of the New Destiny
program must take into account the very real
ideological factors that went into Wheylan’s decision
to turn humanity’s collective back upon the past. To
the Emperor, who was very much a Linearist in every
sense of the word, the unification of humanity under
one rule was civilization’s ultimate goal; its “First
Destiny”, to use the term coined by Gunthar Neumann
in his +227 treatise, Alexander’s Legacy.
With its First Destiny secured, Wheylan was anxious
to lead humanity towards its next goal, which he
called its “New Destiny”. While he certainly wished to
be remembered as its founder, this movement was
not entirely about securing Wheylan’s place in history.
In fact, its main goal was to turn our attention to the
future, and focus our energies upon a new purpose,
which for Wheylan was a redefinition of (or, more
precisely, a return to) humanity’s primary role in the
Universe.

The Edenist Movement
Few people today can understand the pro-found
effect that the Edenists had upon the culture of the
third and fourth centuries. Man-kind’s initial expansion
into the galaxy was followed by a serious
reexamination of most human religious and
philosophical doctrines. The discovery of past life on
Mars and extant microbes elsewhere in the Solar
system shook things up in the century before the
hyperdrive. However, it was not until high-order life
forms were discovered on planets orbiting Barnard’s
Star in +63 that humans were forced to seriously
consider the implications of extraterrestrial life. One of
the results of this upheaval eventually became known
as the Edenist movement.
The Edenists began to formulate their ideas
immediately after the discovery of Gaia (as Barnard
IV was dubbed by the Stellar Expansion Commission
in +64), and first came to the public’s attention during
the debates over the proposed colonization of Gaia in
the late +70s. But it wasn’t until several years after
New Phoenix was founded in +102 that the Edenist
movement really began to make an impact.
To the Edenists, the story of Adam and Eve was a
retelling of humanity’s abandonment of its true
function; that of custodian. They were divided over the
nature of this appointment; many felt the authority of a
supernatural being was necessary to give validity to
their beliefs, while others believed this position was
humanity’s simply by virtue of its standing as the only
intelligent life in the galaxy. But all Edenists were
agreed that it was time for humans to reclaim their
role as caretakers of the Universe.

Hero Anatare
The Edenists gained their first position of power in
+120, when Hero Anatare was appointed governor of
New Phoenix. Anatare was an avowed Edenist, and
while it was her skill as an administrator and
exobiologist (as well as her political maneuvering) that
got her the appointment, the Edenists as a whole took
this event as a sign that the North Atlantic
government was on their side.

Several lobbying groups with Edenist ties began
cropping up in New York and Geneva, and the
movement grew in size and influence well into the
+130s. However, neither the North Atlantic Union nor
the Connor/Grumlin Group , which had been granted
the contract for New Phoenix, would ever espouse
Edenist ideals as official policy, despite a number of
adherents in the Senate.
This reluctance of governmental and corporate
officials to recognize Edenist philosophy would
eventually lead to the movement’s decline in the early
+140s. When Governor Anatare resigned midway
through that decade in order to protest
Connor/Grumlin’s alleged exploitation of the
ecosystems on several planets, the Edenist
movement appeared to be finished. Little could
anyone have predicted that the Collapse and
subsequent Terran War would eventually lead to
Edenist resurgence in the next century.

The Collapse
Sometime in the middle of the year +158, the
Eurasian Union dissolved itself. The reasons for this
breakup are still unknown: in fact, most scholars
agree that discussion on the matter is pointless. In
lieu of a major archaeological discovery, the
information available about this time is appalling in its
scarcity. Some theorists have gone as far to suggest
that Purser Wheylan’s New Destiny program was but
an attempt to specifically hide certain aspects of the
Eurasian dissolution and subsequent Collapse. The
validity of these theories must, by their very nature,
remain perpetually in question.

Neo-Feudalism

Because of this, very little can be said about the
political events of the mid-second century, other than
to characterize it as a period of slow but certain
decline. One by one, the great multi-national
confederations ceased to exist: some peacefully,
others through conflict. It is likely one of these
conflicts which triggered the Terran War.

Although the exact reasons for the Collapse are still
debated, what is known is that the system of
governmental subcontracting (the so-called “NeoFeudalism”) had reached the breaking point sometime
in the early +150s. Since before the hyperdrive,
governments had started dealing with their budgetary
problems by allowing private interests to bid for
contracts giving them control of functions previously
reserved for governmental agencies.

In the wake of these changes, most governments
found they did not have the wherewithal to continue
as before. Those not overwhelmed in the initial stages
of the War settled into a stalemate which dragged on
for years, and possibly decades. Resources, both
material and human, were drained to the point that,
without a strong external threat to unify them, the
people of Earth would certainly have descended into
a new Dark Age.

Initially, the government paid the corporations, and
everyone seemed happy with the solution.
Governments were able to simplify their operations,
the public was pleased as corporations were much
better at providing quality service than the
government ever had been, and corporations were
content, as the prestige more than made up for any
profits lost in the actual provision of service.

The Colonies

It was sometime in the first century after the
hyperdrive that some corporations were given the
power to directly tax the public. No one is sure how or
why this change was made, but the effects are
undeniable: civic unrest became more and more
commonplace as the turn of the century neared, and
trust in the government took a dramatic downturn.
Individuals’ loyalty began to shift, and nationalism
gave way to corporate identity. Political boundaries,
while still extant, became less and less important to
the average citizen, which made the politicians who
argued over them seem more and more foolish. More
importantly, as reliance upon corporations became
the norm, the idea of national independence
weakened to the point that, early in the second
century, several multinational confederations sprang
up around the globe. Initially, these groups were little
more than mutual-defense and trade pacts, but as the
years went on, individual nations gave up more and
more of their sovereignty to the confederations until
the political realities of Terra would have been
unrecognizable to those who had lived only fifty years
before.

It is not within the scope of this work to cover the
development of the colonies, important though it soon
proved to be to Terran history. Simply put, the
colonies, the earliest of which dated back to +24,
experienced a rebirth of culture and technology
unmatched since prehistory.
While never breaking out into open warfare, several of
the colonies sank into disputes of one sort or another
as the second century dawned.
While no historical or political reason can be
determined for these quarrels, cultural anthropologists
claim they can be explained by the maturation of the
colonies and their separation from Earth. As they
became more independent, many of the colonies
were extremely anxious to prove their worth, not only
to the other colonies, but also to the home world.
When the Terran War broke out, several colonists
saw an opportunity to validate themselves, and a
movement to “rescue Terra from herself” gained more
and more momentum as the second century waned.
Finally, in +198, the First Expedition was sent by Betal
Corianis of the New India colony. It is generally
assumed that, had the other colonies participated in
this endeavor, Terra would have been brought under
colonial control, and subsequent events would have
been quite different.

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85

Goddard Mojhari
When the Regency was first inaugurated in +200, few
on Terra would have predicted its eventual
transformation into the Imperial Throne and the
enormous amounts of power to be concentrated in the
hands of one individual by the turn of the next
century. It is truly ironic, considering the intent of the
Regency, reflected even in its title, was to protect the
status quo by centralizing the efforts of the various
Terran nations and corporate demesnes in the
defense against aggression from the colonies. Of
course, had the first Regent been anyone other than
Goddard Mojhari, this expansion of power might
never have occurred.
After mobilizing Terran forces to repel the Second
Expeditionary Force from New India in +201, Mojhari
took the opportunity to form the Starmada, Earth’s
first standing multi-national space fleet. By awarding
commissions to the best young members of the
corporate nobility, the Regent began a process of
assimilation and accommodation that eventually led to
most of the Houses owing allegiance to him in some
form or another.

From Regency To Empire
While Mojhari and his successors were content to
lead the forces of the Starmada into battle only as a
last resort in the defense of Terra, Wheylan showed
no such restraint. As discussed earlier, the Emperor’s
Edenist leanings affected not only his domestic policy,
but his approach to foreign affairs as well. In +301,
the one-hundredth anniversary of Mojhari’s first great
victory, Wheylan began the next phase of the Colonial
Wars by sending an arm of the Starmada against
Polaris County, which held fast for nearly twenty
years before finally succumb-ing to Imperial rule in
+318. It is this stubborn refusal to yield on the part of
the County citizens that allowed the formation of the
Arcturan Federation. Had Wheylan been able to finish
the Polaris campaign according to his own timetable,
the eventual Federation members would have had
little time to organize to repel Imperial aggression.
The middle of the century saw Wheylan and his
successor, Emperor Hadric, expanding and
consolidating Imperial holdings, until Hadric halted the
Starmada’s advance at the Negali border in +361, an
act which is still not fully understood today.

The Arcturan Federation
It is one of the main precepts of historical study that
there is no such thing as “objective” reporting; all
accounts of historical events are affected to some
degree or another by the nature of those recording
them. No example of this in recent years is clearer
than that of the Arcturan Federation. Depending upon
which side of the border you happen to be sitting,
current relations between the Federation and the
Empire can be (and have been) seen as anything
from peaceful cooperation to full-scale cold war.

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As stated earlier, the difficulties involved in subduing
the systems of Polaris County were directly
responsible for giving the Arcturans enough time to
organize; but just barely. The ink was scarcely dry on
the Articles of Federation when a contingent of the
Imperial Starmada appeared within the Kilarie system
early in +319. The inhabitants quickly proclaimed their
allegiance to the newly formed Federation; just as
quickly, Kilarie became the newest addition to the
Imperial holdings.
When this annexation was consummated by the
Battle of Kilarie, in which Arcturan forces were
thoroughly routed, it appeared as though the
Federation would prove little more than a footnote in
the annals of Imperial expansion. That is, until a littleknown Admiral by the name of Harloss came upon
the scene.

The Commonwealth
In the end, although successful in stunting Imperial
military expansion, Vilni Harloss’ Frontier Campaign
did much to solidify the Empire and allow it to become
a more powerful economic and political entity.
Learning from the ease with which the Arcturans were
able to lure peripheral systems from his grasp, the
Emperor began plans for a Commonwealth even
before the end of the Conflict. However, it wasn’t until
his successor, Emperor Hadric, put the matter before
the Senate in +344 that the Commonwealth became a
reality.
Those systems involved in the Frontier Campaign,
plus several more acquired along other fronts during
the time of the Arcturan Conflict, were allowed to
retain a large portion of their sovereignty in exchange
for a recognition of the Emperor ‘s ultimate authority
and certain mandatory trade restrictions. By doing
this, the military ties that bound the Empire were exchanged
for
an
economic
and
cultural
interdependence that was primarily responsible for
the Empire’s even swifter expansion over the next
century.

The Negali
Certainly, in the current political climate, it would not
be in the Empire’s best interest to provoke the Negali.
While they are small in number, their technical
prowess could easily serve to hold the Empire off long
enough for another power—say, the Arcturans—to
decide the time is right to test the Imperial mettle.
While there is every reason to believe the Starmada is
one of the most well-trained, well-equipped space
forces in the galaxy, it is just as reasonable to think a
multi-front war would be a difficult challenge, to say
the least. This is especially true when one considers
the newest threats to Imperial security.

A Rude Awakening

Enter The Dragons

When the intrepid (and numerous) members of the
Bensen family announced their plans to colonize a
planet in the Janvier system late in +336, it was hardly
news. The Bensens had long been known for their
terraforming prowess, and few believed this latest
venture would be less than successful. Scientists had
long suspected the system contained at least one,
and possibly two, planets that would be within
tolerance limits for human habitation, despite official
survey reports to the contrary. Thus, they were
delighted when the Imperial Bureau of Colonization
and Commerce finally gave the Bensens permission
to move in.

It is not as if human citizens of the Empire are unused
to sharing their space with other sentient beings. The
Empire had encountered and assimilated several
cultures during the years leading up to and directly
following the Colonial Wars. However, on each of
these occasions, it was quite clear that the humans
were technologically superior, and therefore such
confrontations inevitably ended in Imperial triumph. In
a select few cases, the Emperor and the Council felt it
best to simply leave “underdeveloped” civilizations
alone, such as the aquatic Akashi of Star’s Bridge.
But for the most part, First Contact with an unknown
race resulted in a known outcome: a new addition to
the Imperial “family”.

Unfortunately, this decision eventually cost the
Empire much more than the eighty-nine lives of the
Bensen expedition.
Even the word “S’ssk” is but a human approximation
of the sounds made by reptilian vocal chords. It is not
even certain that they have a name for themselves,
and so the designation is likely inaccurate on more
than one count. Everything about them seems foreign
to human experience, and if House Izraedi knows
anything more, they aren’t telling.

The Nesting
Ever since the uprising, there has been little new
information about these enigmatic creatures, and the
public has had to satisfy itself with nothing more than
rumors and the occasional admission by one minor
Imperial official or another. There is little wonder the
S’ssk have featured so prominently in the minds of
Imperial citizens: while the Empire has faced many
opponents, never before had one of those foes
sprung from the ground beneath its feet, figuratively
speaking.
Imperial policy towards the S’ssk was fixed nearly a
century ago, when Emperor Hadric created the
Imperial Guardians specifically to manage the
perceived threat that the S’ssk posed to Imperial
security. While the snake-like race preferred a
planetary environment inhospitable to humans, there
was some concern on the Emperor’s part that they
might one day decide to expand beyond those worlds
tucked into what seemed to be every dark corner of
the Empire.
Almost on a monthly basis, explorers stumbled across
yet another Nesting (the term has been used to refer
both to a single community of S’ssk and to the race as
a whole), whereupon House Izraedi was forced to
step in and conduct what they referred to as “damage
control”. The reason this course of action was
selected over a more aggressive stance is still
unknown, although the events of the uprising have
per-haps validated Hadric’s concerns. That the
conflict was of limited duration and destructive-ness
can be attributed mainly to the efforts of the Izraedi. It
would appear the Imperial Guardians have developed
some type of relationship with the S’ssk.

The difference in the case of the S’ssk was the
revelation of a widely dispersed, starfaring race which
in many cases had been sharing star systems with
unsuspecting humans for centuries. The many other
non-human races that exist within the Empire all
acknowledge Terran rule, at least in theory , and fit
within the Imperial framework, but the S’ssk are
simply alien. As the full extent of their expansion is
still un-known, the S’ssk situation was completely
beyond human experience to that point, which
explains their hold on Imperial imaginations to this
day.
There is also the matter of S’ssk origins. It has been
claimed by many scientists in recent years that it
would have been impossible for the snake-like
creatures to have evolved on their own—
xenobiologist Mikel Boorshi has been quoted as
saying that the signs of genetic manipulation are
“unmistakable”. If the mere existence of the S’ssk has
been difficult for the Empire to handle, one can only
imagine how its citizens will react to the possibility of
encountering the race that could have created such
monstrosities.

First Contact
To say the Empire’s first exposure to the Kalaedinese
could have gone better is a vast understatement. The
incident is still fresh in the minds of both the Admiralty
and the citizenry at large. Although four scant years
have passed since the Battle of Agirant in +396, one
high-ranking officer in the Starmada has stated that
she could not remember a time “when the
Kalaedinese did not occupy a place of honor in my
nightmares.” Indeed, several individuals have stated
privately that full-scale war would be preferable to the
current situation out on the rim; at least in that case it
might end quickly.
For obvious reasons, the Admiralty will never state
this publicly, but it is clear from recent skirmishes that
the Kalaedinese navy surpasses the Starmada in both
tactics and resolve. It is believed that only the
superior economic might of the Empire stands in the
way of all-out invasion. That being said, it is little
wonder that recent reports of increased production at
certain facilities along the border with the Expanse
have caused serious discomfort within the Imperial
palace.

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The Kalaedinese Question

House Connor

Intelligence reports of recent Negali skirmishes with
the enigmatic Kalaedinese do not offer much hope for
those attempting to formulate Imperial strategy; just
as with Starmada engagements, the Kalaedinese
seem to be able to outnumber their Negali opponents
regardless of the operational situation. Perhaps even
more disturbing are the suggestions that the
Kalaedinese have somehow managed to penetrate
the effects of the cloaking device. Should this prove
true, the one hope the Admiralty currently has—
namely, of securing the willingness of the Negali to
share their technological secrets—may be for naught.

Once a valued and committed member of the
Regency, with several permanent seats in Council,
House Connor first began to question Imperial policy
after the siege of Polaris County began in +301.
Misgivings had been sowed when Wheylan adopted
the Imperial title in +290, but his decision to launch a
pre-emptive attack on a perceived enemy and his
administration’s slow curtailing of civil rights (not to
mention limitations on free trade) drove many in
House Connor to question the wisdom and ultimate
direction of the Emperor’s New Destiny.

It is hardly surprising, then, to find that high-level
attempts have been made on the part of the
Emperor’s inner circle to contact the Kalaedinese and
negotiate a settlement. One member of the Admiralty
gave voice to the worries about this strategy,
however: “Agirant may have settled things for the
Kalaedinese for all we know.” Considering the
thrashing the Starmada received in that battle, the
possibility that the Kalaedinese have little regard for
Imperial overtures seems reasonable.
The Empire is not accustomed to negotiating from a
position of weakness.

The Arcturan Federation
With gravity of purpose and the exertion of hope, we
sign these Articles of Federation. In so doing, we
shine a beacon of freedom for all humanity to
behold.
When they will follow, none can say. But follow they
must, or risk losing not only their liberty, but their
very souls.
—Orlan Connor
It could be one of the great ironies of human history
that the system of Arcturus is not a member of the
Arcturan Federation. Firmly within the grasp (and well
behind the borders) of the Terran Empire, the
birthplace of the Federation is unlikely to become
contested territory, much less be reclaimed by House
Connor, who along with Houses Mberti and Yamato
formed the core of the reformist movement that
resulted in the signing of the Arcturan Accords and
the eventual founding of the Federation.
Yet this state of affairs seems not to concern the
Arcturans—for them, the name refers not to a place,
but an ideal. Apart from a core group of nationalist
politicians, few are openly troubled by Imperial
possession of their namesake. So long as the values
of freedom and self-determination set forth in the
Accords live on within the Federation, the general
public is not going to concern itself with ancient
history.

While many have suggested that House Connor’s
opposition was primarily driven by personality conflict
(matriarch Pellia Connor was known to have a solid
dislike for the new Emperor, allegedly stemming from
a youthful fling gone sour), there is no doubt that
Wheylan’s shift in foreign policy played a major role in
the feud. Certainly, this latter motivation is what drove
House Mberti to reassert themselves as advocates for
Connor’s reform proposals—although such advocacy
took the form of public appeals rather than political
support, Mberti having lost their seats in Council
almost thirty years before.
To modern observers, the reforms presented in
Council by House Connor are perfectly reasonable—
nearly all have been adopted in the time since. But at
the time, restricting the power of the Emperor,
rescinding the “emergency powers” (by this time over
100 years old) granted to Regent Mojhari, and
establishing a free-trade network with the former
Colonies were ideas that could only be seen as
nothing short of revolutionary.
To a public that finally felt secure after decades of war
and external threats defeated only because of those
emergency powers and strict protectionism (or so it
was thought), placing Earth’s future in the hands of
recent enemies seemed near treason, especially in
time of war. While some far-sighted scholars,
scientists, and public figures argued for open debate
on these matters, it was clear the populace as a
whole was enamored with the strong leadership and
aggressive policies of Emperor Wheylan.

The Arcturan Accords
By +313, despite the Emperor’s lack of progress in
Polaris County, public sentiment and Council politics
were firmly against House Connor. Several of their
seats were lost, and their influence waned. Before it
became completely impotent, Connor made a lastditch effort to unite anti-Imperial sentiment by
convening a conference in their home system of
Arcturus.
Representatives from several Houses attended—a
nod to Connor’s strong, albeit weakened, presence in
Imperial circles. However, it was clear that most were
there either out of courtesy or as spies; few
expressed open support for reformist principles.
That House Mberti was a major participant was no
surprise; what shocked many was the attendance of
House Yamato, the Imperial shipwrights, coming to
the aid of the reformist movement.

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Previously, Yamato had been silent in the debate;
while not openly supportive of the Emperor, neither
had they given any encouragement, publicly or
otherwise, to the Connor cause. Their participation in
the conference, and signature of the Accords, marked
a significant turning point. For such a respected and
powerful House to risk Imperial censure caused many
to rethink their position.
There is some debate whether Wheylan considered
compromise at this time. In hindsight, doing so would
seem to have been the most prudent course.
Although his power was at its peak, the slow pace of
the Polaris campaign and sudden improvement in the
fortunes of the reformists meant that dissent could not
be controlled as easily as in the past. At the same
time, for a man such as Wheylan to voluntarily accept
limitations on his authority was unthinkable. It seemed
there were but two potential outcomes: a series of
back-room negotiations to bring about gradual
change, or full-scale civil war.

The Purge
In +316, three years after the Accords, Wheylan
appeared to have chosen the latter. Over a period of
several weeks, leaders in Connor, Mberti, Yamato,
and several lesser Houses were arrested and
detained on charges that remain disputed to this day.
Ironically, the setbacks in Polaris County which had
created an environment in which the Accords could
be signed and openly discussed now served to turn
the public firmly against reformist policies.
Sensing the Empire’s weakness, several former
Colonies began negotiating an alliance, based upon
the principles of the Arcturan Accords. Their hope
was to fill any power vacuum created should
Wheylan’s administration fall and the Empire contract
upon itself. Unfortunately, old animosities die hard,
and the Imperial public (and the Council) perceived
these negotiations as preparatory to a declaration of
war—as it turned out, such fears were not entirely
unfounded.
The effect was as devastating as it was immediate:
public outcry was minimal, as the reformists were
decried as fifth-columnists, working to destroy the
Empire from within. Wheylan masterfully turned the
situation to his advantage, and soon the Tricamerals
(the rather cumbersome moniker with which the
reformists had been labeled) were on the run.
Happily for the future Federation, coordinating such a
crackdown on an interstellar scale is extremely
difficult, if not impossible. While many leaders within
Connor, Mberti, and Yamato could not be saved from
Wheylan’s purge, the Houses on the whole had time
to respond and protect themselves to a great extent.
Connor was forced to evacuate Arcturus but had
significant infrastructure in many other sectors; Mberti
had been in exile for over a quarter-century; and
Yamato, as Imperial shipwrights, were omnipresent to
begin with.

Stalemate
With the Starmada occupied in Polaris County and
along the other borders, the Emperor was not in a
position to follow up his initial successes. Both sides
withdrew and began positioning themselves for the
inevitable.

What followed is arguably Wheylan’s finest hour.
Faced with the prospect of a shattered Empire, he
realized the only way to buy him the time he needed
to subdue Polaris County (and thus avoid the political
embarrassment of withdrawal before success) was to
ensure a strong opposition never became reality.
Thus, instead of directly challenging the renegade
Houses, he took on their allies. Through a series of
covert operations, small-scale military actions, and
espionage, Wheylan managed to stoke the fires of
fear and mistrust.
Although the respite allowed Connor, Mberti, and
Yamato to solidify their positions, they were isolated.
Without the prospect of a strong and committed base
of support, they had no chance of staging a
successful coup—Wheylan was counting on their
reluctance to initiate a long, costly civil war.
The Emperor’s instincts were right. Unfortunately for
his legacy, his assumptions could not have been
more wrong.

Federation
Even his fiercest critics must acknowledge that Purser
Wheylan was a powerful, intelligent, and resourceful
man, without whom the Empire would not be the
superpower it is today. Ironically, it can be argued that
without him, the Empire might have become even
stronger.
If Wheylan had one glaring weakness, it was his
inability to account for his opponents’ ingenuity. He
had an innate knack for discovering hidden motives
and secret agendas—but once discovered (and
countered), rarely did Wheylan follow them any
further. Whether this was a failure of imagination or
plain hubris is unknown, but the clearest example of
this is in the formation of the Arcturan Federation.
As expected, the Tricamerals had no interest in
sparking a civil war within the Empire. While there is
likely truth in the contention that the reformists did not
wish to spill unnecessary blood, it is just as likely they
recognized the ultimate futility of such a course.
Although weakened by the Polaris campaign,
nationalist sentiment within the Empire was still too
strong for them to expect many defectors to their
cause.
Wheylan’s success was to prevent House Connor
from organizing a strong opposition within the Empire
and challenging his authority. His failure was in
assuming this was the only option open to the
reformists. If change from within was impossible, they
reasoned, then reform must be encouraged from
without. And what better way to do this than to lead by
example?
The Emperor’s reward for all of this maneuvering was,
in +318, final victory in Polaris County. Furthermore,
within months, several smaller ex-colonies also
became part of the Empire, this time peacefully. But
while the weak succumbed to the inevitable, the
strong became stronger. The penalty for the
Emperor’s gains became evident the following year,
as eight of the largest colonial powers, finally reacting
to the Imperial “divide and conquer” strategy, banded
together under the tricameral banner.
The Federation was born.

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Growing Pains
For obvious reasons, the emergence of a new, unified
power on the Empire’s borders was not something
which Wheylan could (or ever would, considering his
temperament) take lightly. A brief survey of the
circumstances showed that the Empire possessed the
high ground: the Arcturan navy, while strong in
numbers, was not yet a cohesive fighting force.
Likewise, despite the show of unity displayed in the
formation of the Federation, its disparate members
were by no means of one mind on many issues—not
least of which was exactly how to proceed in relations
with the Empire.
Many within the Federation believed that a “wait and
see” approach was necessary. Perhaps they hoped
their mere existence would be enough of a deterrent
to Imperial expansion, that they could negotiate a “live
and let live” arrangement with Wheylan. Others saw
their only hope in a strike on certain Imperial holdings,
which could in theory be returned via the bargaining
table—but the fractured nature of the Arcturan navy
precluded such pre-emptive action.
For better or worse, the Empire solved the Arcturans’
dilemma for them. In +320, the Imperial Starmada
began its invasion of Arcturan space in a somewhat
indirect fashion, by establishing a “presence” in the
nominally independent Kilarie system.
Militarily, it was the perfect choice. Kilarie had the twin
benefits of being poorly defended and a prime jump
point from which to threaten several important
Arcturan systems. Politically, it was no less of a
master stroke—the Emperor knew exactly where
Kilarie’s loyalties lay. By choosing it as the first target,
he could send a clear message to the Arcturan
leadership—as well as to those counting on
Federation protection—while still being able to claim
that their territory had not (yet) been violated.

The Frontier Campaign
Harloss’ strategy in countering the Imperial invasion
may not have been unique in human history,
considering the vast amount of that history lost to us,
but it certainly was a break from military conventions
of the time. Indeed, it may have been the single most
important factor in forcing the Admiralty to abandon
tradition as a guide for tactical decision-making, and
thus (ironically) turning the Starmada into the efficient
fighting force it is today.
What Harloss did may have seemed unthinkable even
to her own officers at the time; the obvious benefit
was that her opponents were completely bewildered.
Leaving system defense forces in place, Harloss
gathered the bulk of her starships into a single fleet,
and promptly left Arcturan space in +321. Initially, the
Imperials seem to have regarded this as a simple act
of cowardice; a select few far-sighted members of the
Admiralty managed to implement some precautions
against a possible raiding campaign by the departed
forces, but this was the extent of their thinking on the
matter. The Starmada continued its advance, and
while Arcturan SDFs managed to slow their progress,
it seemed only a matter of time before the whole of
the Federation was under Imperial control.

The nascent Federation was facing its first critical
test; one which threatened its very existence. Many
wondered aloud whether the test could be passed.
When the Arcturan navy failed miserably in its attempt
to wrest Kilarie from Imperial control, the future
seemed very dark indeed.

It wasn’t until the fifth system in Imperial space had
surrendered to Harloss’ fleet that the Empire felt it
was impossible to ignore the situation any longer. In
his defense, there is every reason to believe the
Emperor was unaware of the situation until the
Admiralty was forced to reveal it to him. Whether or
not this was the first he had heard of the situation, it is
certain that +321 marks a turning point in the Arcturan
Conflict. Virtually the entire Admiralty was replaced
during this year, and on +322:3:12, the Starmada
made its first retreat from Arcturan space, as forces
were drawn off in order to chase Harloss down.

Vilni Harloss

Pax Imperium

Great men often seem to arise precisely when and
where they are needed; but perhaps this is less a
coincidence and more a reflection of the importance
of good timing when setting oneself up for posterity.
Regardless, the point seems equally valid when
discussing great women, as the example of Vilni
Harloss will attest.
Harloss’ early years are somewhat of a mystery;
some have claimed this as evidence that there is
more to her story than is commonly known. It is more
likely that we know little about Vilni Harloss as a child
for the same reason we know little about anyone else
from her home sector during this time. Known to have
been the site of a remote Terran military base during
the days of the Regency, this area of space was cut
off from the rest of human space during the early
stages of the Colonial Wars. It only re-entered the
arena of history with the advent of Harloss.

90

Despite her early anonymity, within months of her
thirtieth birthday, Harloss’ name would be known by
every citizen of the Arcturan Federation. While
impassionate historians may hedge at using the term,
there is no doubt about the sincerity of late fourthcentury Arcturans when they referred to Vilni Harloss
as the “Savior of the Federation.”

April 2020 – www.mj12games.com

Despite Harloss’ brilliance, and the Admiralty’s
inability to understand her strategy until it was too
late, the Frontier Campaign would never have worked
if not for the feelings of those Imperial citizens Harloss
was “liberating.” The Arcturan leader was careful to
concentrate her efforts on those systems which had
recently been absorbed into the Empire; this allowed
her to be reasonably certain that, as she moved on,
the systems would not simply revert back to Imperial
control, and would need to be re-conquered. It is
certainly no accident that her first efforts were in
Polaris County, which played such a meaningful (if
indirect) role in the formation of the Federation in the
first place.

While it took relatively little time for the Starmada to
catch up with Harloss, it was not so easy to defeat
her. Over the next five years, Imperial forces were
consistently unable to force Harloss to commit to a
decisive battle, and the fact that more and more
starships were needed to reclaim and garrison those
systems Harloss had liberated only served to make
the task more difficult. Finally, in +326, the Emperor
sued for peace.
Of course, this is not how the Imperials would have
characterized the situation, and to be sure, there was
no hint of resignation on the part of the Emperor.
Nevertheless, what he offered the Arcturans was in
practice nothing short of complete, unconditional,
mutual withdrawal.

Cold War
In the decades since the end of hostilities, official
relations between the Empire and the Federation can
only be seen as passively antagonistic, at best. While
the Arcturan government is careful to publicly conceal
its glee at the threat to Imperial security posed by
recent contact with the Kalaedinese (and in private,
this joy is tempered by fear that the Federation will be
next), they make no secret about their designs for an
anti-Imperial alliance with the Negali.
However, some opposition members have gone so far
as to suggest the government consider overtures to
the current Emperor in hopes of reaching a détente.
They rightfully point out that the ideological
differences forming the need for a counterweight to
Imperial ambitions have largely evaporated and argue
that a greater pan-Human alliance would secure both
peoples from the threat of the Kalaedinese. That such
calls usually come from conservative nationalists, and
that their policies would also bring cooperation with
the Negali to an end, has not gone unnoticed.
Although the electorate has so far rejected such calls
for reconciliation (old animosities die hard, after all),
the gap between the sides is narrowing, due at least
in part to concerns about the aliens’ true intentions…

The Negali
In recent months, it has become clear to me just how
much our Federation has staked on the old cliché,
“The enemy of my enemy…”
We must take care in choosing our bedfellows, lest
our sleep last far longer than ever we feared.
—Abren Malloch

First Mistakes
Humanity’s first encounter with the Negali in +325
was a tragic, yet on some level understandable, affair.
The Frontier Campaign of Vilni Harloss had stretched
Imperial nerves to the breaking point, the Admiralty’s
desperation gaining momentum as it rolled down the
chain of command until the behavior of certain flag
officers could truthfully be said to border on the
psychotic.

This tension manifested itself in one commander’s
course of action during the countless “sweep and
clear” deployments within the territory threatened by
Harloss, when an Imperial carrier response group
detected a handful of drive signatures orbiting the
fourth world of the Margaux system.
Commodore Celvan Parkes ordered the launch of a
full bomber wing after hails went unanswered and
signals intercept reported energy spikes across the
board. To the twenty-year combat veteran, silence
served as an admission of guilt—it wasn’t until the
first salvo had penetrated one target’s engine
compartments, and visual returns from the fastmovers started to populate the combat information
center that Parkes began to doubt his conviction. By
then, he was committed.
The Imperial formation had stumbled across a Negali
survey expedition comprised of three research ships
and a light cruiser. The warship opened up the
moment the first hull went critical, by which time
Parkes’ command had closed the gap and brought its
main armament to bear. Although bridge personnel
were stunned by the resiliency of the cruiser’s
shielding, the issue was never in doubt and the
slaughter reached its sad climax within minutes.
Suddenly, the Admiralty had a second major
adversary with whom to contend, as alien ships
began stabbing through the Corridor into Imperial
space.
Sharply-contested
skirmishes
erupted
throughout the sector for the next five months, with
Starmada battle groups holding their own through
sheer weight of numbers. This new entry couldn’t field
the same tonnage as their human adversaries, but the
designs were horrifyingly lethal.

Peace And War
With Harloss nipping at its heels, the Starmada could
not maintain this new tempo of operations. Diplomatic
feelers eventually bore fruit, and hostilities ground to a
halt, although the necessity of maintaining a heavy
presence in the Palantae Corridor imposed a
considerable strain on a logistical network already
beginning to unravel. It is clear to any unbiased
observer that the cease-fire negotiated by Emperor
Wheylan in +326 was spurred in no small part by the
appearance of this new enemy.
Freed to some extent by peace with the Federation,
the Imperial Starmada continued an on-again, offagain series of conflicts with the Negali over the next
decade and a half, pushing slowly back against the
initial Negali gains, until finally ceasing in +341. Since
that time, it has taken unceasing diplomacy for
relations between the Empire and the Negali to
approach anything that might be called civil. It is a
situation the Arcturans have gleefully exploited,
although this co-existence has been fraught with
tension, misunderstandings and regrettable slips in
inter-racial etiquette.

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Indeed, the average citizen does not necessarily hold
the Federation’s strongest ally in high regard. There is
a general tendency in the media to portray the Negali
as “techno-wizards”; while it is true that trade with
them has greatly aided much of humanity’s recent
technological development, it is a dangerous oversimplification to presume that this is the extent of
Negali culture. They (presumably) managed to halt
the Imperial advance through superior technology,
and they maintain that edge to this day, but they have
acquired a high degree of artistic and philosophical
sophistication as well. To write them off as toymakers
and gadgeteers is an underestimation that may
adversely affect relations with the Negali.

Killivan’s Syndrome
Observers of Negali culture comment that there is, in
fact, a certain poignancy in the imagery associated
with their art and literature, which conveys an almost
overwhelming sense of nostalgia, but lacks the clarity
and focus of human expression. An apt analogy
would be a faded tapestry, communicating a memory
of color, of experience, but none of the vibrancy which
originally inspired its creator.
All of this testifies to the crisis now facing the Negali.
Data released by the Liemann Institute in +342
reveals the presence of a genetic disorder,
degenerative in nature, affecting the male members of
that race. Dubbed by human researchers as Killivin’s
Syndrome, but known in the Negali tongue as Svirebi
Incjku (“the Death which awaits Us”), the disease
appears during the early stages of sexual maturity,
attacking the nervous system and manifesting itself in
a gradual paralysis of the physical extremities. Loss of
mobility is followed by eventual heart failure and/or
respiratory collapse.
Needless to say, the results are always fatal.
While aggressive forms of therapy can prolong the
subject’s life expectancy to 50-60 Terran years
(diseased cells are essentially cauterized, significantly
retarding—but not stopping—the spread of infected
tissue), the physical discomfort caused by such
remedies is appalling.
The Negali have abandoned any attempt to conceal
the condition, as most males approaching middle age
are reduced to wearing servo-powered exo-suits to
remain ambulatory. The necessity of such devices
has only enhanced the Negali reliance on upgrades to
their natural form. While not “cyborgs” in the popularculture sense of the term, Negali are the most
comfortable of all known races with the concepts of
cybernetic implants, bionic amplification, and genetic
engineering. The “ethical considerations” which
plague human governments when discussing these
matters are considered quaint by Negali standards.

92

Ironically, childhood diseases are almost unknown
among the Negali. In addition, “minor defects” such as
blindness, deafness, or other disabilities are almost
always corrected within the first years of life (some
humans have questioned this success rate, as rumors
of selective infanticide are popular among the more
conspiracy-minded). Combining this with the ravages
of Killivan’s Syndrome, it is no wonder that it is almost
impossible to find a full-grown Negali whose body has
not been significantly and visibly altered or enhanced
by technological means.

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The Dangers Of Cooperation
Killivin’s is horrifying to the individual; but for the
Negali race as a whole, it poses the very real risk of
extinction, as the one consistent symptom is
sterilization. The Arcturan Federation’s current
administration openly acknowledges that no less than
twenty-three university and government laboratories
have been cooperating with Negali researchers since
+387 as part of an “information exchange”
agreement—an arrangement that does much to
explain why military research expenditures have more
than doubled in the last seven years.
Details of this arrangement have alarmed some of the
Federation’s more vocal isolationists. Negali have
been reported working alongside Choln-Temovich
theoretical
development staffers—a
disturbing
revelation for many reactionaries, as Cho-Tem is a
leading defense contractor, responsible for (among
other things) the recently unveiled neural linkages that
may in the near future allow military flight crews to
“think” their way through maneuvers that until recently
were deemed impossible.
The proliferation of Negali advisors throughout the
Arcturan navy has also caused rumblings within the
Federation Assembly. Delegate Abren Malloch was
perhaps the most ardent opponent of these
maneuverings.
Citing
reports
from
several
anonymous flag officers, Malloch contended in late
+398 that patrols within several sytems along the
Federation-Negali border had observed a significant
increase in military and freight traffic. Crew rosters
revealed that advisors were deployed in those same
systems in “unacceptable numbers.” Waving
confidential documents from the speaker’s podium,
Malloch contended the Federation had fallen from a
political tightrope—rendering itself overly dependent
on Negali technology in an attempt to secure an
advantage over the Empire.

A Change Of Heart
It surprised more than a few commentators, therefore,
when Malloch, absent after a long bout of illness,
suddenly retracted his earlier statements. Cynics
speculate that, at the very least, the firebrand was
pressured by administration officials to cease his
attacks on government policy. Such internal dealings
can also likely explain the recent upheaval within
Naval High Command, which has seen dozens of its
more promising officers (including three young
Captains of the List) forced into early retirement.
This purge has spread to include enlisted personnel
serving in the border systems who have been
unwilling to receive a series of vaccinations deemed
necessary in combating a host of viral diseases
traced to interaction with the Negali. Resistance has
taken root among ratings and specialists over the past
three years thanks to rumors of mental illness among
many of the men and women who have participated.
Public affairs officers attached to regional
headquarters scoff at the varied accounts of
“Foamies”—so named because of alleged rabies-like
symptoms—just as they dismiss reports of more
subtle, but just as inexplicable, behavioral changes
among certain Naval career officers.

Yet Malloch, before renouncing his earlier views, had
been an outspoken critic of the program, reported to
have an extensive archive of recorded interviews with
naval personnel. So his change of heart has added
fuel to the fires of controversy, leading many to
question the truth behind his reversal.
To be fair, Negali culture does little to ease tensions.
The only known technocracy in existence, the Negali
are, in essence, governed by a panel of that race’s
most revered thinkers—appointed by inner society
members for their skill in one of the many recognized
scientific fields, from astronomy to anthropology,
physics to politics (among the Negali, the
mechanisms of public discourse are viewed as a field
of scientific study in the coldest, purest sense). Lower
levels of Negali government are further striated by a
thousand shades of production scheduling, logistics,
research and development, and countless other
functions, an unfathomable sea of bureaucratic thinktanks channeled along a path no human mind has yet
to discern.

Technocracy In Action
The Negali leadership prides itself on an innate ability
to factor millions of variables dispassionately, each
administrative level filtering those considerations not
relevant to the panel’s final deliberation. But to
outside observers, it seems apparent that every
societal issue facing that race is viewed as purely
hypothetical, a string of meaningless, soulless
equations that may, or may not, impact the lives of an
anonymous populace.
A clear example of Negali modus operandi is the case
of the Arradus system. Records show a specific
protein deficiency was found in the population of
females of that system, leading to a slight elevation in
birth defects. The Panel promptly issued directives
resulted in the forced sterilization of nearly half a
million citizens, before a cooperative study conducted
by several different collectives traced the root problem
to poor quality assurance procedures in a fertilizer
plant producing chemicals used to treat the local
cereal crop. When production of the chemical was
discontinued, harvest levels plummeted and the
resulting famine lead to the deaths of more than a
million inhabitants of that system.
Transcripts show the crisis was viewed as a
fascinating case study by the local Second Deputy
Assistants, which has lead more than a few analysts
to ponder how it was perceived by the Negali’s top
appointed leaders, and what solutions they may
choose to employ if faced with a problem involving its
neighbors.
Human fears are no doubt heightened by the
realization that the Negali military, directed by these
same minds, fields an uncounted number of warships,
whose ultimate purpose can only be guessed at.

The Kalaedinese Expanse
Cherish the moments of true wisdom and
knowledge, the fleeting measures of perfect rhythm
and tone, when the secrets of reality unfold with
each passing note…
The Music is not heard. It is felt. The true ear does
not hear, it absorbs. It thirsts for more.
—The Way of the True Ear

Origins
The annexation of the pseudo-feudal Equatorial
regions into the existing Federation of States was
rather complex. The States had organized basically
out of fear, when word came that Maestro Hmaldi, the
most competent of Iael Fellith’s coterie, had subdued
the last resisting Equatorial province and finally united
that disparate archipelago under one ruler. The
clandestine support that individual States had
rendered to resistance fighters was well known on
both sides of the conflict, though no formal mention
was made of this fact until five years after the
formation of the so-called Equatorial Empire. At this
point, Fellith expressed outrage over the “discovery”
of this treatment and ordered the first sally of what
has come to be known as the Unification War.
The problems arose in trying to get the people of the
Equatorial regions to participate in the existing
republic. Treated rather badly after the War, the
Equatorial peoples had cause enough to feel that they
simply could not be elected to a position of power.
Establishment of districts was sharply defined,
“coincidently” leaving very few areas where
Equatorials had a majority, or even plurality. As such,
their participation in the decision-making processes
affecting their lives was negligible. Many felt this
would eventually lead to outright revolt, and indeed
there were discomfited stirrings for many years.
Finally, Jona Pael brought war crime claims against
the Unified government in perhaps the greatest legal
proceedings ever considered.
Given the extraordinary odds he faced, it is no small
miracle that he made his point so convincingly…

Divinus Familia
After the Pael hearings, the Government went along
its way, but with several changes. The romances of
feudalism remained among many of the Equatorial
peoples; they still had a nominal royal family (the only
nobles to survive Fellith’s purges during the War), the
Conrys. It was only a matter of time before a Conry
would pursue public office, and after the startling
election of an Equatorial as First Chair twelve years
previously had calmed many of the public’s fears,
Erith Conry was elected First Chair in 6424. As he
was royalty to those of Equatorial decent, they started
calling him Divus (“divine one”), as fit with tradition.
This did not go over well.
The problems turned out to be short lived, however.
Some judicious rewriting of the Score allowed for a
Divinus Familia, the head of which was to nominally
“rule” Kalaedin, though true powers remained in the
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The Divus could initially claim no “real” power, save
that of the love of the people and proximity to those
who made decisions, which is really all that is
necessary. Erith Conry’s great charisma won him
many adherents, so by the time he died and his
daughter rose to follow him, the Divinus Familia was
well regarded. Three generations later, under Divus
Jona Conry II, the idea of constitutional divinity is so
ingrained that it would be very hard to convince
someone that things have ever been any other way.

Expansion
By the turn of the century Kalaedin had extended
colonies throughout the Prime system, some for
mining, some for habitation, some for research. It was
at one of these stations, Pael Roth on the moon
Cressius, that Kalaedinese scientists developed the
first rudimentary interstellar drive system. The actual
creator of the system is still a matter highly contested,
with several parties attempting to establish their place
in history (financially, they were bound to be
disappointed; the government appropriated the design
technology almost immediately). In any case, travel
between star systems became possible, if not
immediately practical. The first Kalaedinese starship,
Harmony, traveled to the closest system in the year
6423.
Supposedly
unhappy
with
the
astronomical
designation, the crew of Harmony named the star
“Loethdan” after a popular composer. The only planet
in the system turned out to be worthless in many
respects save the historical.
Divus Eal Conry was a strong proponent of the
exploration program for a variety of reasons, not the
least of which was that it kept the people busy. The
recently suppressed Ghelti uprising was still in
peoples’ minds, and the Divus really did not want
others to get any ideas. It turned out something else
captured the attention of the public rather
dramatically. In 6484, in the Ealain system, contact
with another intelligent race was made. Still planetbound, the people history calls the Bhel were suitably
impressed with Kalaedinese technology. By all
accounts they remained impressed as Kalaedinese
marines began systematic eradication of their culture
and peoples.

Unification
After its first few military conquests, the Kalaedinese
Empire spanned several systems and had conducted
genocide upon three distinct species. The call of
protection above all else was no longer heeded; the
technological advances of the cultures encountered
were far below what Kalaedinese scientists had
developed. On his deathbed, the Divus charged his
daughter to continue the expansion of the Empire
through more peaceable means. Diva Eallerin Conry
acquiesced to her father’s wishes, her advisors
proudly concluding that their technological awareness
was unparalleled in the universe.
This arrogance was borne out for several more
decades through the assimilation of what are now
considered the Outer Core worlds. It was not until
6589 that the Kalaedinese were shocked from their
complacency.

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To truly understand the Kalaedinese response to
contact with the Uxitepic, one must be aware of the
foreign policy changes made with the passing of the
old Divus and the ascension of the new Diva.
While expansion continued, Diva Eallerin fell into a
pattern of establishing peaceable relations with new
sentient life forms, leaving a small embassy and
sometimes a garrison on inhabited planets.
Technological advances were disseminated to the
native public at carefully calculated moments,
resulting in a growing appreciation of Kalaedinese
comforts and a reliance on Expanse technicians.
Eventually, public opinion would swing in the favor of
Imperial annexation (fermented by promises of
positions in the new regional Choir, no doubt) and a
country (or region, or province) would become part of
the Expanse. If the region was small, the governor
would wait until a certain percentage of the planetary
population “came to its senses” before embarking on
a conquest of the remainder of the planetary
populace. If the region was large and powerful,
Unification could begin almost immediately.
This plan worked rather well; most worlds were firmly
in Kalaedinese control within 20 years after contact.
The Uxitepic were a different story. Being only the
third spacefaring race Kalaedin had encountered, it
was believed that at the very least, trade relations
could be established before a factor was put on the
planet to begin the Unification process.
Such was not the case.

The Uxitepic
The Uxitepic did not want to have anything to do with
the Kalaedinese, which did not sit well with the Diva.
Being at the outer portion of the galaxy, every star
system was necessary to the Empire, at the very least
to use as a waypoint to reach other systems. Perhaps
the Uxitepic understood that to let Kalaedin pass on
through and settle worlds on the “other side” of their
cluster was to invite an eventual encapsulation of their
system, at which point they would be hard pressed to
maintain their identity.
When repeated attempts at negotiation failed, the
Exploration Section decided to simply send a ship
through Uxitepic space. The exploratory ship Measure
was accompanied by three destroyers, given that
Kalaedinese/Uxitepic relations were tenuous at best.
Reports have it that the military concluded that even if
the Uxitepic complained about the armed violation of
their space, they couldn’t face up to the power of
three navy destroyers.
They were wrong, of course.
The Uxitepic response was prompt and final. The
Measure and her escort were destroyed, a fact which
was even more disturbing given that the Uxitepic
force, by the final accounts of one destroyer,
consisted of just two frigate-class vessels.

The Uxitepic War tested the Empire to its limits. While
numerically superior and with a substantial advantage
in resources, the Kalaedinese forces could not make
any headway given the technological superiority of
the Uxitepic ships. When the Diva died, and Divus
Erith Conry IV ascended to the throne, the War had
been going on for over a decade with a net gain of but
a single system.
The tide began to turn when Kalaedinese scientists
unlocked the secrets of weapons systems salvaged
from battle wreckage. The Uxitepic had been
developing too, but with the use of their own weapons
(albeit old ones) against them, the numerical
advantage of Expanse forces wore down the Uxitepic
fleet until it was finally eradicated at its home system
in 6603.
Maestro Taerlim, after consultation with his
subordinates, advised the Divus that the subjugated
Uxitepic peoples should be immediately put to death.
A rather surprising second came from the Audience.
(Perhaps not so surprising, given the tremendous loss
of life, resources, and talent suffered by the Empire.)
Much debate occurred, with some hoping to keep the
Uxitepic around to benefit from their advanced
technologies, others wanting a slave race to perform
menial duties, and others simply against genocide.

New Challenges
Expansion continued towards the center of the
galaxy. Recently, contact has been made with
another sentient species, many of whom seem to be
organized along imperial lines much as we are. There
has been a fair amount of debate over how to receive
these peoples, the first sentient life encountered since
the Uxitepic War.
With the technological advances discovered during
that war, and with the memories of destruction still
alive in the minds of our leaders, it is generally
believed that the Divus’ course will be to treat with this
empire from a position of strength. Many among the
Kalaedinese find it sad that the relatively peaceable
tactics which helped form the core of the Expanse are
to be eschewed out of fear of the unknown.
At the same time, it is certain that the sheer size of
the Expanse is what kept it from being swept away in
the early stages of the Uxitepic War. The thought of
an Empire of an unknown size and technology is
terrifying to the Kalaedinese. It is likely out of this fear
that the Divus has yet to initiate formal contact with
this new adversary. Considering initial military
successes, it is an open question whether he, the
First Chair, or the Audience will be inclined to do so at
any time in the near future.

Eventually, fear won the day. Unwilling to allow for the
possibility of rebellion (particularly considering the
possibility that the Uxitepic might keep choice bits of
weapons technology to themselves until the revolution
would come), Diva Erith IV supported the decision to
kill all surviving Uxitepic. Their factories and
laboratories, however, were kept in as good a shape
as possible, and linguists who had served during the
war teamed with scientists to exploit the fruits of a
dead race.

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Starship Display Sheet Index
Aria-class Destroyer ........................................................................................................................................... 122
Belligerent-class Heavy Cruiser .......................................................................................................................... 100
Claw-class Light Cruiser ..................................................................................................................................... 114
Concordant-class Light Carrier ............................................................................................................................. 97
Cottonmouth-class Light Carrier ......................................................................................................................... 124
Diamondback-class Battlecruiser........................................................................................................................ 125
Dirge-class Battleship ......................................................................................................................................... 118
Forte-class Heavy Cruiser .................................................................................................................................. 120
Fortissimo-class Light Cruiser ............................................................................................................................ 121
Furious-class Destroyer ...................................................................................................................................... 102
Harrier-class Frigate ........................................................................................................................................... 117
Hyperion-class Heavy Cruiser ............................................................................................................................ 108
Indomitable-class Battleship ................................................................................................................................. 98
Kestrel-class Escort Destroyer ........................................................................................................................... 115
Kite-class Destroyer............................................................................................................................................ 116
Lancer-class Frigate ........................................................................................................................................... 110
Majestic-class Battlecruiser .................................................................................................................................. 99
Mamba-class Battleship...................................................................................................................................... 123
Oratorio-class Light Carrier................................................................................................................................. 119
Peregrine-class Destroyer .................................................................................................................................. 109
Pharsalos-class Missile Cruiser .......................................................................................................................... 107
Raptor-class Battlecruiser................................................................................................................................... 112
Roc-class Carrier ................................................................................................................................................ 111
Seraphin-class Battle Carrier .............................................................................................................................. 104
Swiftsure-class Light Cruiser .............................................................................................................................. 101
Talon-class Heavy Cruiser.................................................................................................................................. 113
Tetsukabe-class Battleship ................................................................................................................................. 105
Thunderbolt-class Battlecruiser .......................................................................................................................... 106
Valiant-class Frigate ........................................................................................................................................... 103
Viper-class Escort Cruiser .................................................................................................................................. 126

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