====================================== Notes on a TSOY/BattleStations Kitbash ====================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A brief enumeration of concepts and rule ideas to date, with engravings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ .. contents:: :class: sidebar Introduction ============ Battlestations is a tactical wargame of sorts in which you play the crew of an understaffed starship. Starships are built from square grid modules (each providing a system) and players have individual character sheets. The Shadow of Yesterday is a story game played with Fudge dice, in which players take the roles of ordinary people on a post-apocalyptic fantasy world. The rules are very low-crunch, and have a certain fractal nature to the way things are modeled. This document, being merely a collection point for notes, assumes that the reader has familiarity with both systems. The Goal -------- My aim is to make a very lightweight set of TSOY-inspired rules for playing a game somewhat like Battlestations. I want to unify things that are diverse, and simplify things that are complicated. My plan is to make the setting somewhat "steampunk", while avoiding the retread of standard genre tropes (which means no "aether"!). I intend to format the game as a novella-length story written in a sort of Robinson Crusoe style, containing the diary of a young boy who sets out into the stars and has great adventures. This will be followed by a terse set of rules explaining how to play the game. Much of this is designed to be simple to model on paper, while leaving options for a computerized version of the game open. Characters ========== Characters will be constructed in a manner similar to TSOY Characters, with some number of levels spent on Pools (Talent), Abilities (Expertise), Secrets, and Keys. Talent ------ Players have six pools representing innate or acquired talent in a field. Each pool represents a category of task one may mean to perform, and provide a set of bonus dice to be applied in appropriate areas. Each one will be represented in the rules by a symbol as follows: :Athletics: |ATH| :Combat: |MIL| :Engineering: |ENG| :Piloting: |HELM| :Science: |SCI| :Diplomacy: |TRADE| .. |HELM| unicode:: 0x2388 .. |SCI| unicode:: 0x2697 .. |ENG| unicode:: 0x2699 .. |MIL| unicode:: 0x2694 .. |ATH| unicode:: 0x2625 .. |TRADE| unicode:: 0x2696 Expertise --------- Characters have Expertise in particular ship modules, and possibly with other pieces of handheld equipment. These act as the Ability in a roll, and the cost for each level grows geometrically. Secrets ------- Secrets are as yet unquantified. There are likely to be a set illustrating characters from the novella. It is best to have a mechanical set of tests for how a secret behaves, so that it can be used properly in a computer version of the game. Keys ---- As with Secrets, it will be handy to keep Keys a little more mechanical for the computer version. Some examples: Key of Learning From Mistakes * +1xp for a roll of |-| |-| |-| * +2xp for a roll of |-| |-| |-| with no penalty dice * +5xp for a roll of |-| |-| |-| with bonus dice Key of Incredible Achievement * +1xp for a roll of |+| |+| |+| * +2xp for a roll of |+| |+| |+| with no bonus dice * +5xp for a roll of |+| |+| |+| with penalty dice Key of The Reckless Pilot * +1xp for bruising OOC through piloting * +2xp for bloodying * +5xp for broken .. |+| unicode:: 0x229E .. |-| unicode:: 0x229F .. |.| unicode:: 0x25A1 Ships ===== The ships are pieced together from hexagonal "modules", which can be arranged in many "configurations" that affect the difficulty of maneuvering, the ease of movement by the crew within, and the manner in which damage is taken. Hexagons -------- .. |HEX| unicode:: 0x2b23 .. |NW| unicode:: 0x2196 .. |NE| unicode:: 0x2197 .. |SE| unicode:: 0x2198 .. |SW| unicode:: 0x2199 .. |ACUTE| unicode:: 0x2221 Ships are constructed from hexagonal modules containing hexagonal tiles and fly through a hex-grid space. In a sense, everything is about coordinate systems of scaled hex-grids, although this sort of detail will never need to be explored. To simplify matters, all hexes in the game are "horizontal" like so: |HEX|. Players using paper will almost certainly not need coordinate systems, but if needed any playing group may use whatever is familiar or comfortable. The computerized game will use a mapping of hexagons into a grid coordinate system where the vertical axis of movement is ignored for simplicity. The remaining two axes are named *a* (|NE|) and *o* (|NW|) for "acute" and "oblique" angles, respectively. This naming convetion assumes that angles are measured from the ray formed along the positive end of the x axis (|ACUTE|). :+a: |NE| :-a: |SW| :+o: |NW| :-o: |SE| Modules ------- In terms of TSOY rules, ship modules are a funny sort of character. Each has a single "level" attribute that behaves like a Pool that drains each round, and some number of secrets either innate to the module's type or purchased as special abilities. The pools are a sort of "power rating" that determines how much energy the module can translate into useful work. Only one module, the Engine_, truly "generates" power for the ship. Other modules may store or convert the energy from one form into another (and really that is all that is ever possible in the Universe). Before we move on, we must define some aspects of entire ships that are determined by the modules. Mass Number of modules in the ship's configuration (plus any mass-relevant payload on board). Radius Taking a hexagon that encloses the ship entirely, half the number of hexagons from one face to another (rounding down). |ENG| Engine ~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. _Engine: `ENG Engine`_ .. |e-| unicode:: 0x26a1 :ltrim: .. |electricity| unicode:: 0x26a1 .. |thrust| unicode:: 0x2604 :ltrim: .. sidebar:: Fuel Consumption How much `Fuel Ore`_ is actually burned per unit of energy? The engine burns `Fuel Ore`_ in its furnace, generating both electricity (|e-|) and thrust (|thrust|). The heat from the ore pile powers the great Stirling motors which drive the dynamos to run electricity to the rest of the ship. In addition to this, the pile produces a volatile high-energy slag known as "Hermionite" which can be used as explosive reaction-mass to provide thrust. Each round, the engine produces energy equal to its rating. Energy production must alternate between electricity and thrust, so a single engine of rating 1 generates 1 |e-| on one round, and 1 |thrust| the next. 1 |thrust| is the amount of energy required to accelerate an object of mass 3 by 1 hex per round. Secret of Slow Decay (default) An engine loses 1 |thrust| per round, instead of all of it. Secret of Fuel Efficiency The amount of energy (either electricity or thrust, but not both) generated by a unit of fuel is increased by one. Engine tile layout:: ________ / \__/ \ /\__/##\__/\ /_/########\_\ / \########/ \ \__/ @\##/@ \__/ \ \__/##\__/ / \/########\/ \########/ \##/ |HELM| Wheelhouse ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The wheelhouse is the central piloting control for the ship, as well as the storehouse for on-board electricity. Hidden away is a giant flywheel spun up from the power generated by the engines. Through careful application of friction or magnetic bearings, this spin may be translated into rotational momentum or electrical power for ship's systems. .. sidebar:: Wheelhouse Topics Need to cover Out Of Control harm. A wheelhouse of rating 1 can turn a ship of radius 1 by 60 degrees (one hex facing) either direction, in one round. This wheelhouse may also store 1 |e-|. Secret of Slow Decay (default) A wheelhouse loses 1 |e-| per round, instead of all of it. Wheelhouse tile layout:: __ __/##\__ __/########\__ /##############\ \##/@ \##/ @\##/ / \__/ @\__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ / \/ \__/ \/ \__/__\__/ |SCI| Vindicatus Drive ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. |k+| unicode:: 0x269a :ltrim: .. |kerykeion| unicode:: 0x269a This device is named after the famous work of non-euclidian geometry, `Euclides ab omni naevo vindicatus` (Euclid Freed from every Flaw). It provides a practical means of travel between star systems. Less expensive craft will pay tolls to be sent from point to point by way of organized "locks" scattered about the settled universe. The control of these gateways is the subject of much war and diplomacy, and there is always the risk of being denied passage or having one's vessel confiscated. The Vindicatus drive is a phenomenally intricate device that can transduce electricity (|e-|) into "kerykeion" energy (|k+|). This energy can be stored in the device's crystals until needed, but decay will occur. Given sufficient power, the drive can make way from point to point without passing through ordinary space. The routes are convoluted and require careful calculation (typically with the aid of an Instrumentation_ module), and occasionally there are peculiar "walls" where travel is trivial by ordinary thrust but difficult by Vindicatus procedures. One factor in a Vindicatus transit is that upon egress the ship becomes surrounded by a bubble of complete stasis. The space around the ship becomes an opaque almond-shaped frictionless pocket of our universe being squeezed through whatever channels the drive opens up. This means that engines must be shut down just before or immediately after Vindicatus egress or else the thrust would ricochet inside and cause torpedo-like damage. See the Habitat_ for more about preparation for transit. Secret of Proportionately Slow Decay (default) A Vindicatus drive loses 1 |k+| per N rounds (where N is the rating of the drive), instead of all of it. Secret of Rapid Egress A Vindicatus drive with this secret may make egress from our Universe and still add one more round's worth of charge afterward. Secret of Independent Function The entire Vindicatus module may be sealed off and journey short distances (planetside, nearby ships, etc) separately from the rest of the ship. Vindicatus Drive tile layout:: ________ / \__/ \ /\__/##\__/\ /_/########\_\ / \##/ @\##/ \ \__/##\__/##\__/ \ \##/ \##/ / \/ \__/ \/ \__/__\__/ |SCI| Instrumentation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. _Instrumentation: `SCI Instrumentation`_ The Instrumentation system is a combination of sensor input, signal transmission, astrogation, and computation. Here are some tasks and the type of energy they use: :|e-|: Plot a Vindicatus transit :|e-|: Target an object in space to aid weapons or grapple :|e-|: Configure some mechanical cargo into torpedo guidance :|e-|: Subvert the functioning of another ship's Instrumentation :|k+|: Project a shield around the ship to protect from cannons Instrumentation tile layout:: ________ / \__/ \ /\__/ \__/\ /_/##\__/##\_\ / \########/ \ \__/ @\##/@ \__/ \ \__/##\__/ / \/########\/ \##/__\##/ |MIL| Cannon ~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. _Cannon: `MIL Cannon`_ The cannon takes in |kerykeion| and spits out zappy death. It can be deflected with a similarly powered shield. Cannon tile layout:: __ __/##\__ / \##/ \ /\__/##\__/\ /_/########\_\ / \##/ @\##/ \ \__/##\__/##\__/ \ \##/ \##/ / \/ \__/ \/ \__/__\__/ |MIL| Torpedo Launch ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. _Torpedo Launch: `MIL Torpedo Launch`_ Torpedoes are assembled from material cargo and launched via powerful magnets. To launch a torpedo might use: * Hermionite from an Engine_ * Piloting equipment from Instrumentation_ * Sensor equipment from Instrumentation_ * Atmosphere from Habitat_ * Magnets charged by the launch itself Shells and magnets are made from raw ore in the furnace of an Engine_, or purchased pre-fabricated. Note that torpedoes are nearly always magnetized to some degree, and it is important to decide the polarity of the magnet before launch. COuntermeasures intended to repel a South-leading torpedo might spell doom if it leads with North! Torpedo Launch tile layout:: __ __/##\__ /########\__ /\##/ \#####\ /_/ \__/ \##/ / \__/ \__/##\ \__/##\__/ \##/ \ \#####\__/ / \/ @\##/ \/ \__/__\__/ |ENG| Grapple ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. _Grapple: `ENG Grapple`_ The grapple is a magnetic clamp arm that can grab or repel objects in space. When towing a greater ship, all sorts of mass calculations get harder. Grapple tile layout:: __ __/##\__ /########\ /\##/ \##/\ /_/##\__/##\_\ / \##/ @\##/ \ \__/##\__/##\__/ \ \##/ \##/ / \/ \__/ \/ \__/__\__/ |SCI| Habitat ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. _Habitat: `SCI Habitat`_ The Habitat contains all sorts of botanical systems to generate air, water, and food for the crew. For 1 |e-| the Habitat generates enough air to keep N crew members alive for some period of time. This can be stretched by generating the air for a smaller space (such as a boarding torpedo or a sealed berth (of which the Habitat has six)). It is not uncommon after an emergency Vindicatus egress for the crew to seal most personnel into berths until the ship emerges into the Universe again and the engines can be fired up. Habitat tile layout:: ________ /##\__/##\ /\##/ @\##/\ /_/ \__/ \_\ /##\__/##\__/##\ \##/ @\##/@ \##/ \ \__/ \__/ / \/##\__/##\/ \##/__\##/ Resources --------- The universe's resources are managed in three categories. Each may have + or - ratings to indicate a modification to their worth (largely relevant during trading). The standard exchange rate (barring market fluctuations) is as follows: :1 Botanical: 2 Fuel Ore :1 Mechanical: 2 Botanical, or 4 Fuel Ore .. sidebar:: Fuel Ore Precursors Need to work out ratings and exchange rates and processing formulas for: * Raw Ore * Processed Ore * Refined (Fuel) Ore Finally there is the matter of raw unprocessed ore. A volume of arbitrary mined material will have a rating for its suitability for processing. Processing plants exist that are heavily optimized, but in general a close orbit around an appropriately energetic star can transform enough of the stuff that it can be sorted and refined with the aid of a magnetic grapple. |TRADE| Fuel Ore ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. _Fuel Ore: `TRADE Fuel Ore`_ |TRADE| Botanical ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. _Botanical: `TRADE Botanical`_ |TRADE| Mechanical ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. _Mechanical: `TRADE Mechanical`_ Rules ===== The game is structured by *turns*, which happen at a human scale, and *rounds* which are like turns for ships. The players have six turns to get the ship doing what they want in the next round. Rolling Dice ============ The game uses Fudge dice, which are each equivalent to 1d3-2. That is, they have a |-| side, a |+| side and a blank |.| side. A roll is typically 3dF plus some Expertise rating. This represents the range of possibilities (weighted toward the center). To skew the probabilities within this range, we use bonus and penalty dice. Bonuses and penalties are added together, and the result is a number of dice rolled along with the 3dF. If the dice are bonus, the highest three are used, and if they're penalty the lowest three are used. Movement Through Space ====================== Movement of ships and other bodies through space happens according to Newtonian physics. We avoid the obnoxious vector math and other intricacies of modeling by simply handling vectors as "the hex you'll end up in next round if nothing else changes". Applying thrust simply combines this with another vector in another direction and the result is a different hex and a new direction and velocity that you find yourself in. An Example ---------- Our ship begins in the top left corner with a velocity of 0 relative to the coordinate system:: __ __ __ /⬇0\__/ \__/ \__ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ While facing straight down, the ship burns enough thrust to accelerate 1 hex per turn "downwards" (a -= 1, o -= 1):: __ __ __ /⬇↓\__/ \__/ \__ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ /□1\__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ /□2\__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ /□3\__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ On turn 1 after movement, the ship simply coasts on its inertia, turning to face "NorthEast" (positive along the a axis):: __ __ __ / 0\__/ \__/ \__ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ /⬈1\__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ /□2\__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ /□3\__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ On turn two, our ship burns enough thrust to accelerate along the acute axis, changing the heading to a "SouthEast" one (o -= 1):: __ __ __ / 0\__/ \__/ \__ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ / 1\__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ /⬈2\__/ \__/ \__/ \__/□3\__/ \__/ \ /□↗\__/□4\__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ On turn three, our ship coasts on inertia for one turn, doing nothing:: __ __ __ / 0\__/ \__/ \__ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ / 1\__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ / 2\__/ \__/ \__/ \__/⬈3\__/ \__/ \ / \__/□4\__/ \__/ \__/ \__/□5\__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ On turn four, the ship burns to accelerate along the a axis again, this time making a faster "Easterly" heading (a += 1, o -= 1):: __ __ __ __ / 0\__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / 1\__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / 2\__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ 3\__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/⬈4\__/□5\__/□6\ \__/ \__/□↗\__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ Finally, our ship coasts on inertia at its new speed:: __ __ __ __ / 0\__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / 1\__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / 2\__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ 3\__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ 4\__/⬈5\__/□6\ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ Dross Hexes ~~~~~~~~~~~ :: / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ / \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ \__/ .. |0| unicode:: 0x2630 .. |1| unicode:: 0x2631 .. |2| unicode:: 0x2632 .. |3| unicode:: 0x2633 .. |4| unicode:: 0x2634 .. |5| unicode:: 0x2635 .. |6| unicode:: 0x2636 .. |7| unicode:: 0x2637 .. |CLOCK| unicode:: 0x231a .. |CLOCKWISE| unicode:: 0x21bb .. |ANTICLOCKWISE| unicode:: 0x21b7 .. |benzene ring| unicode:: 0x23e3 .. |c| unicode:: 0x232c .. vim:syntax=rst ts=4 sw=4 tw=72 expandtab ai: