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Tsiolkovsky's Enigma
"Earth is the cradle of the mind, but one cannot stay in the cradle forever."
GALACTIC COLONISATION
This is a game of interstellar colonising and achieving dominance in your sector of the
galaxy by plain conquest, clever alliances, shrewd diplomacy or brute economic output.
The Game Master job is quite complex: he creates a map (from the available basegrid map --> see attachment),
puts planets/jovian moons/planetoid belts in each system and makes a list of this in some datafile.
As this info reveals itself to the players the Game Master adapts the textbox bottomright of the gamemap.
The players must choose whether to be human or an alien race.
Then the GM places the players in systems with a similar base value of RP's and tech(s) (if any).
Starting conditions may vary (ie. only a homeworld, or a whole system colonised, or no starting techs).
At the start the players know each others locations.
When all is setup, players give orders and the Game Master simply executes them.
Orders are executed in this order: research -> building orders -> ship movements.
Thus a fleet/Space Station(s) can be commissioned prior to an invading fleet coming in.
RESOURCE SOURCES (Humans)
RESOURCE SOURCES (Aliens1) --> if applicable
RESOURCE SOURCES (Aliens2) --> if applicable
SPACE OBJECTS
COMBAT
ATTACK MODES
MOVEMENTS
RESEARCH
VICTORY CONDITIONS
EVENTS
Questions, remarks or praise? (
) --> shoot!
"Earth is the cradle of the mind, but one cannot stay in the cradle forever."
GALACTIC COLONISATION
This is a game of interstellar colonising and achieving dominance in your sector of the
galaxy by plain conquest, clever alliances, shrewd diplomacy or brute economic output.
The Game Master job is quite complex: he creates a map (from the available basegrid map --> see attachment),
puts planets/jovian moons/planetoid belts in each system and makes a list of this in some datafile.
As this info reveals itself to the players the Game Master adapts the textbox bottomright of the gamemap.
The players must choose whether to be human or an alien race.
Then the GM places the players in systems with a similar base value of RP's and tech(s) (if any).
Starting conditions may vary (ie. only a homeworld, or a whole system colonised, or no starting techs).
At the start the players know each others locations.
When all is setup, players give orders and the Game Master simply executes them.
Orders are executed in this order: research -> building orders -> ship movements.
Thus a fleet/Space Station(s) can be commissioned prior to an invading fleet coming in.
- Some notes:
- Fleets targetting the same system are arriving by their distance, so a fleet with a shorter jump comes first.
This means that an attacker can disable space stations prior to a rescue fleet coming in. - Fleet positions, their exact size and weapon contents are public.
- System RP output and the number of space objects in it are public (space/industrial stations, elevators, fleet).
- The two above points are better listed in a system-by-system sort of table.
RESOURCE SOURCES (Humans)
- Homeworld: 10 RP's/turn
- Terran planet: 5 RP's/turn, can be transformed to a homeworld
- Arid planet: 3 RP's/turn, can be terraformed to an terran planet
- Jovian Moon system: 2 RP's/turn
- Industrial Station: 1 RP/turn
- Planetoid belt: 0 RP, can be harvested by an Industrial Station
- Barren planet: 0 RP, can be harvested by an Industrial Station
- Acid planet: 0 RP, can be terraformed to an arid planet
- Terraforming: costs are 25 RP's/planet, an empty terraformed planet is automatically colonized
RESOURCE SOURCES (Aliens1) --> if applicable
- Homeworld: 10 RP's/turn
- Acid planet: 5 RP's/turn, can be transformed to a homeworld
- Arid planet: 3 RP's/turn, can be terraformed to an acid planet
- Barren planet: 2 RP's/turn
- Industrial Station: 1 RP/turn
- Planetoid belt: 0 RP, can be harvested by an Industrial Station
- Jovian Moon system: 0 RP, can be harvested by an Industrial Station
- Terran planet: 0 RP, can be terraformed to an arid planet
- Terraforming: costs are 25 RP's/planet, an empty terraformed planet is automatically colonized
RESOURCE SOURCES (Aliens2) --> if applicable
- Homeworld: 10 RP's/turn
- Arid planet: 5 RP's/turn, can be transformed to a homeworld
- Barren planet: 3 RP's/turn
- Jovian Moon system: 2 RP's/turn
- Industrial Station: 1 RP/turn
- Planetoid belt: 0 RP, can be harvested by an Industrial Station
- Acid planet: 0 RP, can be terraformed to an barren planet
- Terran planet: 0 RP, can be terraformed to an arid planet
- Terraforming: costs are 25 RP's/planet, an empty terraformed planet is automatically colonized
SPACE OBJECTS
- Industrial Station: costs 5 RP's
Can only be placed in a system that has a mineable object
Only one allowed for each mineable object/system - Colony Fleet: costs 5 RP's for every colonisable planet/jovian in the target system
- Space Station: costs 6 RP's
Cannot move to another system once constructed, 3 weapon points on default (see RESEARCH section)
Can only be constructed in a system which a player occupies (colonised or Industrial Station)
Max. three a system - Space Warship: costs 2 RP's
Is stationed in a fleet, 1 weapon point on default (see RESEARCH section) - Space Elevator: costs 10 RP's/planet
doubles the RP output of the target planet
COMBAT
- Combat consists of the good old Rock-Paper-Scissors game (Laser-Fighter-Torpedo)
Lasers beat fighters
Fighters beat torpedos
Torpedos beat lasers - Only Space Stations and Space Warships can engage in combat.
- Space Stations are purely defensive, and consist of all three weapon types (lasers, fighters, torpedos).
- Warships can both be used for offense and defense, and have one weapon type only/ship.
- Combat is done in rounds, each weapon type is used once a round.
- The number of combat rounds is decided by the agressor through his attack mode, OoB for 3 rounds max.
- Damage is calculated each round, and done first to warships, then to stations.
- A player can order a different OoB for every system, default is automatically LFT from the game start.
- No tactics or more damage vs defeating weapontype is implemented, the GM's job is already complex enough.
ATTACK MODES
- Raid: An attacker chooses a number of 'raiding rounds' on the target system.
Every successfull raid destroys a minor resourse source in the target system, from least value to most.
Targets are Industrial Stations and Space Elevators, in this sequence. - Conquest: Attack rounds continue until one of the fleets is destroyed.
If the attacker is victorious the planets/moons are taken, Industrial Stations are destroyed.
RP's/planet are recalculated in case of different race.
Empty planets can be colonised by sending a colony fleet the turn after. - Nuke Assault: The target planet is nuked after the defending fleet AND one Space Station are destroyed.
In order to achieve this the attacker must have at least three torpedo warships left in the Assault fleet.
The nuked planet remains uninhabitable for the remainder of the game.
MOVEMENTS
- Default distance is 1 sector, 'jumps' happen on a system-to-system base. The farrest jump possible between two systems is 3 sectors.
- Multiple systems may be crossed in the same turn, except when stopped by an interception fleet.
- 'Jump' distances can be increased through research (see RESEARCH section).
- Every player can have 3 fleets maximum, so he can execute 3 simultaneous attacks/deployments.
- A player can order ALL his fleets to attack the same system (coming in from different systems).
- A player passing through a system without permission (or an ally's) combats the local fleet, if present.
- If a player already has 3 fleets, and merges 2 to have a free slot, a new fleet can only be assembled the next round.
- Merged fleets can only continue with the remaining jumppoints of the fleet who spent most in order to join.
- From a Black Hole a player can jump 5 sectors, regardless of his jump technology or earlier spent jumps. Not towards a Black Hole though...
- Any colony -or warfleet entering an unknown system reveals the planets/jovians/planetoid belts for all other players (hence the Probe).
RESEARCH
- Research allows a player to construct better ships/stations, or making his planets more habitable.
A player does so by diverting an appropriate number of his RP's to research. Only 1 tech can be researched/round.
Research done is implemented the following round, except for probe info.
A player can probe one unknown system/round within 'jump' range of his empire, the info is privately revealed to him.
This ensures that a probing player has the first shot at colonizing a new system. - Probe System: 1 RP -> Reveals the contents of the target system for the probing player (private PM).
- Fusion Drive: 2 RP's -> adds and extra sector to your jumpreach for a total of 2 sectors.
- Scanning Devices: 3 RP's -> Raids can be executed now.
- Space Warship: 4 RP's -> warships can be constructed, only 1 weapon type allowed.
- Space Industry: 5 RP's -> Industrial Stations can be constructed.
- Gamma Laser: 6 RP's -> doubles the weapon value of lasers.
- Heavy Fighter: 6 RP's -> doubles the weapon value of fighters.
- Long-range Torpedo: 6 RP's -> doubles the weapon value of torpedos.
- Planet Busters: 7 RP's -> Nuke Assaults can be executed now.
- Colonial Administration: 8 RP's -> colonyfleets can be constructed and sent.
- Anti-Matter Propulsion: 10 RP's-> adds an extra sector to your jumpreach for a total of 3 sectors.
- Space Station: 12 RP's -> Space Stations can be constructed, all three weapon types allowed.
- Tether Technics: 15 RP's -> allows the construction of Space Elevators.
- Gravitonics: 17 RP's -> adds an extra sector to your jumpreach for a total of 4 sectors.
- Terraforming Techniques: 20 RP's -> terraforming projects can be started now.
- Singularity Physics: 28 RP's -> adds an extra sector to your jumpreach for a total of 5 sectors.
VICTORY CONDITIONS
- Victory can be achieved by:
- Taking out all the other players by yourself (conquest victory)
- Taking out other players with an alliance of at most 3 members (allied victory)
- Being elected as Galactic Emperor by all the others (diplomatic victory)
- Having an RP output twice that of the remaining players for 5 turns (economic victory)
- No, no Transcendence here...
EVENTS
- Every player may select one event/turn on a chosen target and chooses a number between 1-5,
the Game Master rolls a dice each turn and executes the event(s) under that number if there are any.
6 means Murphy's Law is circumvented (no event(s) this turn).
The events with limited number can only happen that amount for the whole game. - Supernova: a giant star explodes and becomes a black hole. (one-time event)
Every planet/moon in it's sector becomes a planetoid belt.
All space objects in it's sector are destroyed (ships/stations/elevators)
The planet/moons in the surrounding sectors become empty. - Nova: a main star swells up to become a giant star. (two-times event)
Every planet in the system becomes inhabitable, every jovian moon becomes arid.
All Space Stations and Industrial Stations are destroyed in the system. - Collapse: a giant star becomes a white dwarf. (three-times event)
Every planet/jovian moon in the system becomes inhabitable. - Planetoid strike: for one selected planet in the target system only.
Homeworld -> 5 RP's planet / terran -> arid / acid -> terran / arid -> barren. - Sabotage: One Industrial Station, Space Elevator or Space Station is destroyed. (in this sequence)
Questions, remarks or praise? (
) --> shoot!
ACK!
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