Galactic domination the game of space strategy made in australia
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- PART B OFFICERS
- SECTIONS OF A SHIP
- PINNACE DESIGN
- SPECIAL NOTE TO PLAYTESTERS
- A SUMMARY OF GALACTIC DOMINATION with a critique/review by the designer in third person remote “objective” mode.
| PART A NON-OFFICERS: Able Spacemen and NCOs
Alien specialists Artists Barbers
Barmen Communications specialists Cooks Cosmeticains/Manicurists Crew Testing & Appraisement Board Cultural Officers ^^ Drivers Emergency Exercises Operators Enemy Liaison/Occupation Specialists Engineering specialists Engineers Entertainment specialists Exploration Specialists Extra-vehicular controllers ## Field Equipment Ops Instructors Gardeners General Crew Gunners
Intership & Inship Competitions Officer Laundry “men” Lifepod “captains” Linguists ^^ Maintenance “men” Medics
Paramedical Instructors Paymaster [NCO] Personal Combat Instructors Pest Control Officer Philosopher “Photographers” Planetary Development Specialists Planetary Exploration Investigation specialists Planetary Exploration Security specialists Planetologists Quartermaster [NCO] Scientists Security “men” Shuttle Ops Instructors Small Equipment Disbursement Officer Stewards Survival Training Instructors Tractor Beam Control specialists Weapons Instructors Weapons specialists
Crew are cross-trained in 2 or 3 specialties. ^^ Xenologists ## responsible for probes/satellites/EVA activities [answer to DO or CE]. PART B OFFICERS Captain
XO [Co-ordination Officer] Chief Engineer CMO Security Chief Armory Chief Astrogator Battle Analysis Officer Captain’s Aide/Clerk % Captain’s Steward % Cargo Master [Manifest Controller] Casualties Assessment & Reporting Officer Chaplain Chief Aliens Specialist Officer Chief Contact Officer Chief Cryptographer Chief of Training Chief Pharmacologist Chief Recording Officer Chief Scientist Communications Officer Computer Chief *** Crew Chief Crew Records Officer Customs Inspection Chief Detection Officer Diplomacy Chief Economics Adviser/Commerce Officer Education (Further) Chief Enemy Liaison Chief Exploration Missions Chief Financial Officer Forensics Specialist Gunnery Chief Intelligence & Information Officer Leadership Training Officer Legal Officers Load Master Naval Expenses & Interests Representation Officer OHS Official
Pilot ^^
Pilots – Pinnaces Pilots – Shuttles Political Officers Psychologist Publicity/Media Liaison Officer Recreation Officer Rescue Chief Robotics Chief *** Ship Abandonment Officer Ship’s Astronomer Ship’s Historian Shuttle Officer Shuttle Pilots Tactical Officer ### Tractor Chief
*** Cybernetician ^^ AKA Helmsman or Shipmaster ### maybe split into Offense Officer and Defense Officer on bigger ships % whilst may expect this to be fulfilled by ordinary crew, this is not the case in the future Most races have the standard policy of having 2 fighter pilots per fighter. Standard Carrier that can carry up to 12 Fighters and usually has at least 4 Fighters, always has at least 16 pilots on board. Carriers have additional officers: Pilots – Fighters Carrier Ops officers, including specialist engineers, refuellers, etc
SECTIONS OF A SHIP Air (Emergency) Rooms AMM Reloads AMM Systems Armor – External Armor - Internal Armories
Artifial Gravity Generators Auto Repair System Aux Bridge Battery (Emer Power) Rooms Beam Systems Breaching Pods Bridge/Control Room Briefing Room Brig Captain’s Gig (Pinnace) Captain’s Wardroom Captain’s Yacht Cargo Area Coffee Lounges Computers & Spintronics Conduits/Waveguides Connection Tube (to other spaceships) Corridors/Bulkheads/Turbolifts Crew messes Crew Quarters Damage Control Stations Dangerous Specimens Rooms Drive (IDE) Engines (incl Guidance Sys) Drive (MDE) Engines (incl Guidance Sys) Embarking Chambers Emergency System Enboarding Chambers EW System Exit Ramp (for dock or ground landings) External Repair Vehicles Fire/Medic/Rescue Stations Flag Bridge Food Storage Rooms Fuel Tanks Galley Garden Room Ground Vehicles Guest Quarters Hull Information Room/Library Internal Armor Internal Defense Mobile Cannons $$ Internal Docking Bay (for very small ships)
Isolation/Quarantine Area Junior Officers Mess Labs Landing System Laundry Room Lifepods
Life Pod Recovery Rooms Life Pod Stations Life Support Room Lifepods
Massage Rooms/Brothels/Spas Meeting Rooms [officer & crewman] Missile (Launch) Rooms Missile (Storage & Transfer) Rooms Missile Loading Rooms ## Missile Reloads MI Transport Chambers Monitoring Rooms NCOs Mess Newsroom/Mailroom Observation Room Officers Quarters Party/Diplomatic Visitors (Reception) Rooms Pinnaces Pinnace Hangars Pipes %% Planetary Occupation Equipment !!! Power Distribution Rooms Power Generators Probes/Satellites facilities Projector (Gunnery) Rooms Public Bar/Saloon Room “Public” Baths/Shower Rooms “Public” Toilet Rooms Radio Rooms Rec Rooms [cinema, gym, pool,etc] ** Recycling Rooms Screen Generators Security Stations Senior Officers Mess Shop/Kiosk Shuttle Stations/Hangars Shuttles
Sickbay Small Repairs Room Space/Exploration Suits Storerooms (for spares, etc) “Tailor” Room @@ Theme Restaurants Tractor Beam System Rooms Training Rooms Water Storage Rooms Workshops ** also theatre, music room, arts studio, hobbies rooms !!! has machines, tools, housing units, supplies @@ replacement & new uniforms ## to carried units or other ships $$ & their stations for when not in use %% for Air, Water, Waste, power cables, data transfer, smoke/poisonous air removal
CVs in addition will have: Fighter crash area ** Fighter fuelling system & fuel tanks Fighter Hangars Fighter moving cranes ^^ Fighter pilots special relaxation room Fighter pilots special sickbay Fighters Missile reloads for Fighters Missile transfer/loading vehicles for Fighter reloads Pilot Commander’s Quarters & Office Pilots Mess Pilots mission briefing room Pilots Special Security Squad Pilots special training facilities Quarters for 2 lots of pilots Reception room for Fighter Lifepods Refuelling fuel reserves for Fighters Spares for Fighters Workshop for Fighter repair ** special reinforced emergency hangar for heavily damaged Fighter, or one out of control. ^^ includes small internal tractor beam systems and tractor vehicles SPECIAL NOTE ON FRIGATES AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW CREWING WORKS The FF has a standard crew of 30. It can operate with a crew much less than this, but this means all ships serve as training ships, and extra crew are there to cover casualties from combat or disasters [indeed, can operate without any personnel]. Also it means that if extra ships built, trained experienced crew can be given to them.
Also, with spaceswap system, usually most races have spare set of crew for all serving ships. 12 gunners are required for Battle Stations; these often are security men, but not necessarily so, and many other crewmen/officers have gunnery training. Note that gunnery can operate on auomatic, but then lacks the “flare” sentient beings can bring to the combat scenario. Crew quarters all have assemblable spare beds – also have work desk, comp/comm terminal, couch, chairs, useable also as a table, photon oven, supply of food and drinks, bar fridge (future equivalent), cookware & dishes, glasses, cutlery, and luxury foods, etc. Note each race being alien culture will have differences as to how outfitted and personnel – this includes humans as future humans partly alien to us – have given ships early 21st century version of things. PINNACE DESIGN Space/Atmosphere Flyer with air & ground combat weaponry, and hull as armor (1 cm of hull metal). Can carry up to 6 people [human size – other races either carry less/more or have bigger/smaller pinnace]. SPECIAL EQUIPMENT General Survival Kit Personal Survival Kits - 6 Inbuilt (removable portable) mini-missile launchers and chain guns – demountable with inbuilt folded tripods. Internal partition with lockable door between pilot position and passenger area. Exterior environment analysers Cargo area/emergency passenger area – can carry up to 6 more people. Has a low-power version of MDE drive [max space speed = Tac 1]. Doors/windows/escape hatches/external audiovisual monitors Anti-vac auto patching [+ manual patches] Has a mini-screen generator Each passenger wears a combination planet/space suit Each passenger seat has a harness to hold passenger safely and securely Food packs Rubbish Disposal Unit Air generator Emergency Air Tanks (demountable) ‘Radio’/Laser comm system Sensors/scanners/computers Some spares & repair tools Has optical and other systems that allow on multi-screens all round outside views (& some inside ones also). Has microphones for internal & external addressing. Mortar/Grenade Lobbers – adjustable elevation with innate range calculator Function (also inputs any movement vector of pinnace). GENERAL SURVIVAL KIT Tent/stockade [Portable Fortress] Medical Chest [portable mini-autodoc] Demolitions, & 2 Heavy weapons Climbing apparatus Motor/Generator Multi-assembler kit (spintronic & mechanic) Cards, dice Decon Kit PERSONAL SURVIVAL KITS – in each
Hand Weapon Spare ammo Grenades
2 knives Sample containers climbing rope Air mask/rebreather system water purification tablest Multicorder Food Light Intensifier imager Sunglasses snow/welding/glare goggles matches lighter
small repair kit sewing kit adhesive, etc Torch
Batteries Water
Spare clothing SHIP’S PUBLIC ACTION LOG BOARD Each skirmish, battle, operation, campaign, special encounter, has a name, and this board records which one’s a ship was in (& obviously survived). A duplicate board exits in the memorial gallery on Earth (but this one also includes the action in which a ship bought it, or if decommissioned/stricken/scrapped, missing, etc. PROPAGANDA ANNOUNCEMENTS EXAMPLES [part of existing Mil or Gov announcements] “The __________ gov today announced construction would commence in its newly acquired Mevalon system of a Grand Shipyard.” “ The __________ mil today announced that the Mevalon Grand Shipyard was near completion. It would have the capacity to turn out many new starships in a strategic location quickly able to assist its ongoing operations.” IDEA FOR AN OPTIONAL RULE – kind of a semi-alliance situation: Trading of colonizable planets so that each trading species gets a planet more suitable to them. A variation of this – trading planet for more strategic location planet (or to consolidate your empire into a more manageable/defensible region]. ANOTHER IDEA Docking/maintenance platforms for fighter squadrons and ships. CREW FACILITIES SUMMARISED Barber/Cosmetician Coffee Lounges Galley Garden room Laundry Massage Rooms/Brothels/Spas Meeting Rooms [officer & crewman] Messes
Newsroom/Mailroom Observation Room Rec Rooms = Gyms, Cafes, Games Rooms, Bars, Theatre, Music room, arts studio, hobbies rooms [all these have moveable partitions to enlarge rooms or make extra rooms] Shop/Kiosk Sickbay Swimming Pool Theme Restaurants [only on Capital units] Training rooms WCs/showers (excluding those in crew quarters) Workshops Also access to chaplain, psychologist [CMO], XO, Captain via XO, training specialists, other officers or NCOs as applicable. TERRAN EMPIRE UNOFFICIAL MILITARY ANTHEM Humans all, let us rejoice for we are strong and bold With silver tongues and big frigging guns Solaria will advance everywhere With military might and rare despite making extended fight to bring sheer fright When we encounter xenovores Stick it right up ‘em we say SPECIAL NOTES TO ALPHA VERSION PLAYTESTERS The magazine Galactic Revelations was originally titled Galactic Express but when went on internet found that too many prior useages of this (plus the name is a bit suss – reminiscent of lactation), so I changed it to Galactic Gazette but found there was ONE prior use of this – a Galactic Gazette Volume One Number One in Sydney to do with shopping, so I have changed it again to this title, which is probably a stronger name anyway. I have been working on this game design on and off since 1997. These Basic Rules were fundamentally completed in May 2004, as during April and May of 2004 I did some intensive work on editing the game. Since then it has been on backburner, with occasional minor alterations. I had concerns about some aspects of the game – the map, the victory conditions, and also the editing and game component creation. In April and May of 2005, I have done some intensive final editing, and the printing of this alpha edition and creation of play components for this alpha version. I am still not happy with the map and victory conditions – hopefully your playtesting can bring forth some ideas for improvement. The simple starting game – Introductory Game has not been done yet – it will be distilled from Basic Rules. In Basic Rules, one knows what units in each fleet, and can ask opponent what is in it [though a case could be made that one does not know what carried units are – this could be a new Optional Rule – Secret ‘Cargo’]. Maps are only provisional – still in development are a number of ideas. An ‘Honour System’ applies to playing this game – ie it is easy to cheat but players shouldn’t. SPECIAL NOTE TO PLAYTESTERS For this Alpha Playtest version of GD I have fixed game length at 10 Turns. For actual game I’d prefer a specific VP target. So as to get a baseline set of figures to help determine this , I need VP results from actual games (for all players participating in each game). Final result will probably be + 30 – 50% over top figure, allowing games to last up to 15 turns. More Star Trek ‘omens’ – ‘Farmer in the Sky’ p21 – “enterprise is doomed”.
What this means is that he envisions it as simply being a part; though an integral, central part, of a series of related multimedia products, such as novels, other game forms and audiovisual media. Being a space empire boardgame, one has certain expectations of it, and it fulfills them in spades – massive fleets, a large variety of units to choose from, a uniquely logical and powerful combat system. The rules are exquisitely organised, making the gaming experience much more enjoyable and non-frustrating for the players – do not have to spend ages trying to find a rule – it is there at your fingertips thanks to a combination of numbered hierarchical rules and a very good index. It has a fairly rare expansion system in which the main game constitutes what is known as the Basic Game – this provides the foundation for the game system, and is mainly military oriented. The next level – the Advanced Game – maintains the military pattern, expanding options for that and has more non-military [ie economics/commerce/politics/diplomacy/intelligence] rules also. The third level – the Expert Game – expands the economic and diplomatic aspects. The next three – yes three! – levels increase the amount of simulation in the game – creating the type of game favoured by what are known as grognards – wargame enthusiasts who like detailed games. In a roughly parallel development there is a tactical level version of the game –this concerns detailed ship-on-ship or fleet-on-fleet combat. It can be played by 2 to 6 players and a typical gaming session is less than 4 hours. There is little ‘downtime’ [this is what happens in many other games where players must ‘wait their turn’ whilst the ‘active’ player has his turn], as all players have their turns simultaneously thanks to an elegant control system. Now to examine some of the specific aspects: Some games have plastic units for their ships, etc. – I find this a bit gimmicky and prefer the traditional use of small cardboard counters as used in this game (though no doubt in the future the designer will introduce plastic units for use by those who wish to use them). It has an elegant system to control the large number of ships by use of fleet representation counters and each player having a special fleets control area. Its cards are nice and big – the same size as playing cards – making them easy to handle and shuffle, and more visible. The map boards that are used to play on have large hexes, similar to those in Settlers of Catan and early versions of Twilight Imperium; each player has a home system and an imperial system to start the game with – you also get a big starting fleet to use to explore, expand, exploit and exterminate. You also start with special defenses for your starting worlds, and three Tactics Cards. The Tactics Cards enable you to perform special activities – they are well conceived and logical. You may also optionally start with a Destiny Card – this provides you a special power at the cost of a one-off or continous penalty. As players explore with their fleets they can encounter pirate fleets, neutral worlds and free worlds. Free worlds are yours for the taking, whilst neutral worlds put up a fight, and pirates are vicious predators. You achieve Victory Points for defeating these. What you encounter is determined with the aid of Encounter Cards and random die rolls. It is also possible to have Special Encounters. There are also Stimulus Cards – one of these is turned up each turn and it will have some universal effect that may advantage or disadvantage one or more players, and that certain Tactics Cards may protect the using player against. Everything is well defined, extensive examples of play are given and everything you need to play the game is provided with the game. There are fighters and soldier units [these are called Mobile Infantry (MIs)], and each has its own transport mode – so carriers carry fighters only, and transports and some of the bigger warships carry MIs. These fighters – this is really good – these aren’t the WWII imitations of so many games, and as seen in TV shows and movies – these fighters are actual spaceships – awesome. As for the combat sytem – this is light-years ahead of that in any other space game – very realistic, excellent in being both easy to understand and yet giving logical combat results.
It is playable straight out of the box. The rules are simple and clear, and yet one can add lots of detailed rule thanks to the extensive Optional Rules section – this is designed to be easy to use – you can pick and choose, and do not have to strain your brain about how to do it.
I find it annoying with so many other well-known games that they are weighed down with errors, ambiguities and unclear rules (eg Twilight Imperium – all three editions, Britannia, Star Fleet Battles and Magic the Gathering). The primer on dice at the beginning is a wise move – not all potential players of games are savvy with dice notations as generally used in games. Plenty of Play Aids are provided – whereas with many other games players must create their own. I really admire the combat system – so clever, so much more realistic than that in other games. It is a well-ordered turn based game system with a highly detailed Sequence of Play. I love the wide choice of unit types that you can build, and the availability of special purpose unique units, and that there will be further expansions of the game to bring more types of units. There are also a number of good little rules and items in the game that I haven’t mentioned above – I will leave you to discover them for yourselves. I highly recommend this game, especially for space game enthusiasts, but also even if you are a non-space game player simply because of all the special things in this game. The short stories and little snippets of humour provided with the game are fun. I also like the support that players will receive in the form of a regular magazine (and of course the proposed expansions). Looking at the lists provided of what will be in those expansions makes me really excited – I can hardly wait to get my hands on them.
What brave world to have such a game in it, and how much less a world without it. I think I’ll now pop around for a visit to Lewis and Chrissie (one has to read the rulebook for GD to understand this reference). Oh, and one more thing, the spice can only be found – sorry, wrong universe, rewind – those who are first to have this game will rejoice and glory in it, as similar to a condition that is phrased below: We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day. Henry in Shakespeare’s King Henry V Act IV, Scene III. Directory: sitebuildercontent -> sitebuilderfiles sitebuilderfiles -> The army corps of engineers and hurricane katrina sitebuilderfiles -> George huntington, M. D. Charles s. Stevenson bulletin of the institute of the history of medicine sitebuilderfiles -> Colonials saturday, October 21, 2006 sitebuilderfiles -> Educatio n ph. D. Auburn University Counselor Education and Supervision 1998 Ed. S sitebuilderfiles -> Page 3 –Chapter Masthead More news & notes sitebuilderfiles -> Keith Rupert "the Fixer" sitebuilderfiles -> Santa cruz, laguna letter of appeal for special examination sitebuilderfiles -> Because your hearts have been honored sitebuilderfiles -> Section Topic Page Download 2.57 Mb. Share with your friends:
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