Scenario Eight: Escalating Engagement¶
Two opposing fleets are in the area, each unsure of the enemy’s size and disposition. As they split to spread their search wider, two groups come into contact and signal the rest of their fleets. Whose ships will arrive first? Will they be able to overcome the enemy? Only time will tell ...
Forces¶
Both players’ fleets are split into five divisions. Each player takes five Contact markers to represent their divisions and assigns part of their fleet to each marker. Note down which vessels and squadrons are allocated to each marker.
There are no restrictions as to what ships can be in a division. Once a division moves onto the table, it is not constrained to stick together like a squadron. However, all five Contact markers must be allocated to at least some ships and they are drawn randomly, so an even split of forces is best. Also be warned that the time a division takes to arrive depends on the speed of its slowest vessel.
Battlezone¶
Escalating engagements can occur anywhere from deep space to far inside a contested system, hence any method for placing celestial phenomena which can be mutually agreed by the players is acceptable.
Set-up¶
At the start of battle, each player has only one division on the tabletop: the others arrive as reinforcements later. Each player randomly chooses one Contact marker for their starting force. Roll to see who places their marker first. A marker may be placed anywhere on the table that is not within 30 cm of a table edge or within 60 cm of an enemy marker.
Once both markers have been placed, deploy the ships from the divisions they represent anywhere within 10 cm of the marker.
First Turn¶
Once all ships have been deployed both players roll a D6 and the player with the higher score has the choice of whether to take the first or second turn.
Special Rules¶
In the End Phase of each player’s turn, the player randomly chooses another one of their Contact markers and places it along a randomly rolled table edge within the following restrictions:
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The marker may not be placed within 60 cm of any enemy ships.
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If there are friendly ships within 30 cm of the table edge the marker must be placed within 30 cm of them.
At the beginning of a player’s turn, he can try to bring additional ships into play by rolling a D6 for any Contact marker that is already in place on a table edge. The minimum score needed to bring the ships represented by that marker into play depends on the speed of the slowest ship in the division:
| DIVISION’S SPEED | SCORE NEEDED TO ARRIVE* |
|---|---|
| up to 20 cm | 5+ |
| 25 | 4+ |
| 30 cm or more | 3+ |
*If friendly ships are within 30 cm of the Contact marker add +2 to the dice roll.
If the roll equals or beats the number needed, the ships of that division may move on to the table from anywhere along the table edge that is within 10 cm of the Contact marker.
If the roll is failed, the Contact marker may be moved along the table edge by up to the speed of the slowest ship in the division.
Game Length¶
The game lasts until one fleet disengages or is destroyed.
Victory Conditions¶
Both fleets score victory points as normal and the fleet with the highest victory points total at the end of the battle wins.